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Email a FriendPosted by Amy on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 10:18 AM (EDT):
You would be hard pressed to do this if you’re not living in the southwest, or at least the west, but green chile cheeseburgers are a staple around here!
How Do You Build a Better Burger?
Culinary Wednesday
Posted by DariaSockey in Food on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 10:00 AM
I buy my beef by the half or quarter cow at a time. There’s lots of small farms around here, and I can see just by driving around that this is grass-fed, not corn fed beef. Practically organic, too: the scent of the fertilizer put on the hayfields around here is decidedly natural.
Anyway, my new order just came in, and the freezer is stuffed with hamburger and steak just waiting to sizzle on the grill.
Grilled steak doesn’t need much help to taste wonderful, but what do you do to your hamburgers to make them special? Do you mix up the meat with grated onion and special seasonings? Or do you keep those patties plain, but then pile on some unique toppings—something beyond the usual ketchup, mayo, and American cheese?
I have McDonald’s to thank for learning the ecstasy of swiss cheese and mushrooms on a fat, juicy burger. Now I’m wondering what else I can do to make this Anerican favorite into something out of the ordinary. Give me your best ideas, ladies!
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Posted by Char Young on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 10:50 AM (EDT):
My vote is also for grass-fed beef from a local farmer! We like dried Greek seasoning, fresh garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper in the meat, then topped with Creole tomatoes and Vidalia (sweet) onions. My husband often cooks the onion down in butter.
). It’s a good combination any place, though!
Posted by Karen on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 11:12 AM (EDT):
I almost always season the meat. A staple in these parts is Uncle Chris’ Steak Seasoning
http://www.fiestaspices.com/?page=bbq_unclechrisss
If I don’t have any steak seasoning I’ll use salt,pepper and garlic.
Sliced avocado is a typical topping in Texas along with the usual. Dh and I like different cheeses also. My kids are pretty straight up meat, ketchup and maybe a little lettuce or tomato. I adore grilled onions but tend to only make them with tacos and fajitas.
Our favorite burger is quite simple. For 2 pounds of ground beef you add one egg, 3 tablespoons of A-1 steak seasoning and 1 tablespoon of McCormick’s Monterey Steak Seasoning (it’s a combo of garlic, salt, pepper). As you make the patties add a little pat of butter to the center of the hamburger, roll it like a meatball and then flatten making sure the butter is covered. This prevents the meat from drying out on the grill. These hamburgers are moist and flavorful every single time. I load them with colby jack or provolone cheese, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and plenty of condiments. They are heaven in a bun!
Posted by S on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 12:25 PM (EDT):
Balsamic blue burgers! Mix ground beef with balsamic vinegar and blue cheese crumbles (to taste—we like a lot of both!) about 2 tsp. of dijon mustard, and one clove garlic, minced. Once cooked, top with more blue cheese and a splash more of balsamic. We like to put them on toasted buns, and top with caramelized onions and/ or mushrooms. Yum!
Posted by Sally on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 12:56 PM (EDT):
I’m usually a turkey/black bean/bison burger kind of girl, myself (due to my nutritionist’s hardcore stance against my celiac disease), however, with bison tasting quite similar, I’ll still offer a few ideas:
Feta, oregano, and spinach stuff inside a burger (or mixed in) is fabulous; especially if you top it with plain yogurt (greek is less messy) mixed with minced cucumber. Refreshing and delicious…this also works beautifully with turkey and ground chicken burgers.
Tex-Mex burgers using spices like cumin, chili powder, green chilis/jalapenos, (cilantro if you’re a fan…ick), and then topped with salsa or rotel are yummy! Plus, all those veggies up the nutrition factor.
Weird, but amazing are burger stuffed with mashed up cherries. I went to college not far from Traverse City, MI, the cherry capital of the US (?), and that was a specialty that people would have shipped to them around the country because they’re so good…they stay moist and I promise it doesn’t taste like a fruity burger or a burger topped with jam!
You could also do asian burgers, but that works better with chicken or pork, but depending on the “gaminess” of your beef, it could work. For that I’d just use spices from Thailand or Korean barbecue. Or do the asian-fusion thing by adding soy sauce/tamari, sesame oil/seeds, garlic, onions, and maybe some diced up mushrooms and peppers. Then top it off with an asian slaw of some kind (using similar ingredients and a couple hits of rice vinegar) and you’ve got a GREAT burger!
Now that I’m cooking for a vegan (who’s doing the gluten-free thing for my benefit), my recipes are getting decidedly “creative.”
Hope some of these are good for you and your family!
We almost always have “ranch burgers” here at our house. 1 lb of ground beef, 3 Tbsp of dry ranch dressing mix, and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese (a little more when I make the burgers, a little less if my husband does!). They’ve been a staple for family and neighborhood bbqs and the occassional summer birthday party and consistently get rave reviews.
I’m wondering how to find all of these grass-fed, local beef suppliers! We live in a fairly rural area, so I imagine they are here to be found. Any tips?
Posted by Daria on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 4:59 PM (EDT):
Check your yellow pages under “Meat-retail”. I hope you turn up something. Right now in our area a side of beef cut and wrapped to order is $2.19 a pound. I asked for a small cow, so the side came out to $608. (I split this with a friend since my freezer wouldn’t hold it all.) That includes everything from hamburger to soup bones to porterhouse and ny strip steaks. (not that I’m trying to make anyone jealous!)
Posted by Susie on Thursday, Jun 23, 2011 10:55 PM (EDT):
Just had a great burger at Steak n Shake that I plan to copy soon. It was topped with avocado and chipotle sauce (I think that was mixed with mayo), and tomato. Needs a toasted bun though. I also like the mushroom and swiss cheese burgers - especially with a large portobello mushroom. We put worcestershire sauce on both sides and salt and pepper before my husband grills them.
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