Roasted Burgers

 

Imagine if you could prepare hamburgers for your entire family in a couple of minutes without having to dirty your stove or fire a grill? Now you can just by roasting them.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for lining the pan

2 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

6 toasted hamburger buns, English muffins, split focaccia, or slices of other favorite bread

Your favorite hamburger toppings: sliced Swiss or cheddar cheese (I like blue cheese!), sliced tomato, lettuce, sliced onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, etc.

 

Preheat the oven to 475°F and place a rack in the center (450 degrees in a convection oven). Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle a thin coating of salt on top to absorb any drippings and keep the oven from smoking. Mount a wire rack so that it is at least 3/4 inch above the pan's surface.

Using your hands, break the meat into 1- to 2-inch chunks and place in a mixing basin. Season with salt, Worcestershire sauce, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix carefully, breaking up the meat and incorporating the spices with your fingertips. Overworking the meat will result in tough, dry burgers.

 

Divide 6 pieces of the meat. Before shaping, eyeball even pieces and lay them on a big platter. “This way, You can add a little here and a little there once you have six equal-sized lumps to begin with.” You may also use a kitchen scale to ensure that each burger weighs 5.3 ounces.  Form the meat into disks approximately 3 1/4 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Place the burgers on the wire rack at least 1 inch apart.

 

Cook the burgers for 10 to 16 minutes, checking them with an instant-read thermometer (the fastest method) or by cutting into one to look. Look for 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare, and 140 degrees for medium. (If you want your burgers medium-well, raise the temperature to 160 degrees.  If using cheese, top the burgers with it when they are approximately 2 degrees from done and return them to the oven for 1 minute to melt the cheese.

 

Distribute the burgers on buns, English muffins, split focaccia, or your preferred bread and top with desired garnishes.