How to Make a Homemade Hamburger on a Budget

If money is a bit tight for you lately and you're looking for great hamburger recipes on a budget then look no further.  Don’t let the little fact that you're not rolling in the benjamins get in the way of you enjoying great meals. There are plenty of ways to make the best of your situation and still eat well. Soon you’ll know how to make good hamburgers without cutting too much into your bank account.

Everyone in your town will want to eat at your place when they learn that you know how to make a homemade hamburger with juicy hamburger patties. No grill? That’s okay. This includes instructions for broiling hamburgers, preparing them on your stovetop, and even how to make oven baked hamburgers!  Here's a basic recipe for hamburgers to get you started.  It's even called Basic Easy Hamburgers!

Preparation

Hamburgers are essentially pretty simple, but most people forget the most important step: marinating. The trick to amazing hamburgers is to have them soak up the delicious flavors of Worcestershire sauce, Dale’s seasoning, or another similar product before they are ever even cooked.

1. First, you choose your ground beef with the amount of leanness that you prefer.
    
2. Next, using your washed hands, pack a ball of raw ground beef of desired size into a hamburger patty shape.
    
3. Place hamburger patty into a sandwich sized Ziploc bag and add a small amount of seasoning sauce.
    
4. Close bag completely and shake so that the sauce is well distributed, then place in refrigerator and allow to marinate for your desired amount of time. (from 1 hour to overnight)

Cooking

There are many different ways to cook a hamburger. You can even use our special copycat recipe to make your own version of a McDonald's Big Mac.  Many people enjoy grilling hamburgers, but since you're on a budget you probably won’t have that luxury. Instead, consider cooking your juicy hamburger patties in a nontraditional way.

One easy way of cooking a hamburger is right on your stove top!

1. In a small pan, cook on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on one side, then flip. Cook with extra seasoning sauce if desired.
    
2. Be sure to separate cooked fat from hamburger patty and throw away before eating.
    
3. If your patty is particularly thick, be sure to cut it to test that the center is fully cooked before taking off of the heat. Never eat undercooked meat.

Another excellent way to make a great hamburger is to simply broil it in the oven. This is particularly great if you’d like to add cheese to make it a cheeseburger.

1. Place patties into a pan and set your oven to broil. Be careful not to let the patties get too close to heat source because they can be easily burned.
    
2. Cook for 4 minutes on each side and then flip.
    
3. If adding cheese, be sure to add it only a minute or two before cooking is complete.
    
4. Once again, be sure to check to make sure that patties are fully cooked.

Finally, hamburgers can also be baked in the oven. For oven baked hamburgers:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. Place patties in casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes.
    
3. Check on patties so see if they are well cooked and flip them. Cook for an additional 10 minutes is necessary.
    
4. Add cheese 2 minutes before hamburgers are done cooking.

Knowing how to make a homemade hamburger is a useful skill, no matter who you are. If you'd like to make things even more budget friendly, get you and your friends to go in together on the food purchases and have a little dinner party. Everyone who comes will surely be impressed by your culinary skills. Bravo!

• If you'd like more information on how to make and what to serve with hamburgers then check out these 23 Great Hamburger Recipes to Try Right Now!