The BEST Juicy Steakhouse Burgers

These are probably the best burgers we've ever made at home. I started with a recipe from Jennifer Segal's cookbook "Once Upon a Chef". She worked in a fine dining steakhouse for six years and revealed the secret of making great steakhouse burgers at home. The secret isn't tossing an egg into the meat mixture...it's a panade (and mixture of bread and milk and seasonings) that keeps meat tender and juicy even when cooked to medium-well. Sounded like it was worth a try. Along the way, I made a few adjustments to the recipe.

(Servings: 10)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces* (I didn't have white bread on hand but I did have some soft potato bread stuffing...already cubed)
• 1/3 cup low fat milk (I used whole milk)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup (I used Stubb's BBQ sauce)
• 3 pounds 85% lean ground beef (I used organic ground beef)
• 3 scallions, finely sliced (optional)
• I added 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh rosemary, parsley, thyme (and a little fresh sage)
• Non-flammable cooking spray to grease grill
• 10 hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the gas or charcoal grill to high.

In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well.

Add the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Gently mix everything together until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the mixture into ten equal portions and form loose balls. Flatten the balls into 3/4-inch patties about 4-1/2 inches around. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.

Grease the grill with non-flammable cooking spray. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2-4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.