NEVER Make Dry Hamburger Steaks Again — Try Mama’s Old Trick

Two pounds of hamburger makes six steaks with onions and gravy out of one skillet in about twenty-five minutes, yet one habit nearly everybody has at the stove squeezes the supper right out of that meat. In a Kentucky coal holler around 1960, Daddy's payday from the mine was the one night hamburger came home in white butcher paper. Mama turned it into real steaks on a plate, eaten with a knife and fork. The rest of the week, meat was only a seasoning, like a hock in the beans or a spoon of grease in the skillet. Her gravy cost nothing extra, with no flour and no packet, just broth, Worcestershire and what the meat gave up in the pan. Alongside go crisp fried potatoes with the onion added last, plus how long the leftovers keep in the icebox and the freezer, and the free Pantry List is linked in the pinned comment too. THE RECIPES FRIED POTATOES AND ONIONS Ingredients: 6 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick 1/4 cup bacon grease 1 teaspoon salt 1 large onion, sliced 1/2 teaspoon pepper Steps: 1. Pat the potato slices dry in a cloth. 2. Heat the bacon grease in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium until it shimmers. 3. Add the potatoes and salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes without stirring or lifting the lid. 4. Slide the spatula under a hand-sized section and turn it over like a page. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. 5. Uncover and add the onion. Cook uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, turning now and then, until the potatoes are fork-tender, the edges are crisp and the onion is brown, not black. 6. Season with the pepper at the end. HAMBURGER STEAKS WITH ONIONS AND PAYDAY GRAVY (serves 6) Ingredients: 2 pounds hamburger 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons bacon grease 3 large onions, sliced 1 cup beef broth 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Steps: 1. Divide the meat into 6 balls, a little over 5 ounces each. Pat each one, without kneading, to 3/4 inch thick at the edge and thinner in the middle, then press a thumbprint in the center. 2. Season both sides with the salt and pepper. Wash your hands. 3. Heat the grease in a second skillet over medium. Cook the onions 12 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until they are soft and brown at the edges. Lift them into a bowl. 4. Raise the heat to medium-high. If the skillet smokes, pull it off the burner for 30 seconds until the shimmer returns. 5. Add the patties thumbprint side up, without letting them touch. Cook 3 and 3 if needed and keep the first batch warm. Cook 4 minutes without pressing, until the edges are gray a third of the way up and the patties release from the pan. 6. Flip and cook 4 more minutes, to 160 degrees F in the thickest part. Move them to a warm platter. 7. Return the onions to the skillet and add the broth and Worcestershire, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer 3 minutes until glossy. Spoon over the steaks. 8. Leftovers: refrigerate covered within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days. Or freeze them wrapped tight and dated, best within 2 to 3 months. Reheat to 165 degrees F. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:18 Shaping the Patties 1:18 Seasoning the Meat 1:29 Starting the Potatoes 2:23 Frying Without Stirring 3:21 Meat on Payday 4:21 Turning the Potatoes 4:43 Browning the Onions 5:21 Onion Goes In Last 6:42 Searing the Steaks 8:49 Making the Pan Gravy 11:06 Leftovers and Storage