TIME is MONEY: Freezing Tastier Hamburger Patties for less than prepackaged ones!!

When ground beef goes on sale, I REALLY go nuts with preparing things for the freezer to save time and money!  As I said in my last post, Savemart had ground beef on sale for $1.69 a pound.  I decided I was sick of the premade pre-frozen hamburger patties…and decided to see if I could make my own.

I tried some recipes from www.ourbestbites.com  and froze them.  I couldn’t have been more pleased!! 

My favorites:
Samburger
Southwest Chipotle Burgers

1.       I followed the above recipes. 

2.       Prepared a cookie sheet with saran wrap.

3.       I wore plastic gloves, since I was going to be up to my elbows in meat for a while.  I scooped up a handful of prepared meat (about the size of a baseball) and made it into a nice ball…and the squished it.  I made the hamburger patties bigger than the anticipated buns…preparing for them to shrink on the grill. 

4.       I placed them on the plastic wrap and dabbed the edges until looked like a nice circle.

5.       Place them in the freezer to “flash freeze” for an hour or two.

6.       Remove from the freezer.  Spread out saran wrap, enough for 3 hamburgers.  Place 3 evenly across.  Fold the top half over the hamburgers, and roll them up.

A picture after I froze them and before I packaged them for storage.

I took these out of my freezer for this picture.

7.       Place in a labeled Ziplock baggie and place in the freezer. 

This is my SMALL bag of burgers....just READY-to-be grilled!

8.       Prepare just as you would the pre-frozen ones from the grocery store.  (Place the frozen patty directly onto hot grill and cook!!)

Happy Stretching Pennies...