Why Do You Need Lean Meat for Burgers If You Are Cooking Indoors
I would not say that the grilling season is over. I actually think that cooking outside when it’s a little chilly is much more enjoyable than cooking outside when it’s very hot. But most people prefer to fry burgers and dogs in the sun, and many people (especially those who live in rain-prone areas) will switch to indoor cooking in the next few weeks.
This clearly does not mean that you need to give up hamburgers and hot dogs. Both can be cooked on the inside – in fact, I prefer the pan- cooked burger over the grill. However, this means you may want to consider using a leaner hamburger mix.
When you grill hamburgers, the fat drips from the burger through the wire rack and into the fire. It makes sense to start with a higher fat content here ( at least 80/20) as you lose a lot of fat during cooking. But when you cook the hamburgers inside, in a skillet on the stove, the fat stays in the skillet. The burger is cooked with its own fat, which contributes to a delicious crust (which, in my opinion, makes the burger tastier).
Failure to adjust the fat content when you take a hamburger inside can lead to two things: a greasy burger (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but some don’t like it) and a lot of smoking fat (which smells bad and can trigger a smoke alarm). Reducing fat by as little as five percent can help reduce fat while still providing enough fat to create a juicy burger with a delicious crust.
If your grocery store doesn’t have an 85/15 mix, buy half 80/20 and half 90/10, then mix them together, or ask the butcher if they can make the mix for you. If you have a meat grinder, now is the perfect time to experiment with adding more flavorful but leaner meat to your chicken. Platter, flank, and shank have a lean mass to fat ratio of 90/10 or higher, as well as some really interesting restaurant quality flavors.