Chef Martin Anderson
I know that sounds a wee bit cheeky as there are loads of places that do real burgers and do them really well.
But let’s be honest sometimes you just want a real burger cooked the way you like it, nice and juicy, a wee bit pink in the middle, layered with salad, a slice of onion, melted cheese and a nice toasted bap.
Yes one of the cardinal sins of catering is not toasting your bap , so quick and easy to do and sometimes forgotten by many !
Now how does that burger sound ?
Many of the burgers we eat today are cooked from frozen,unless you are eating in a venue that serves fresh burgers DOH !!
I know it’s a bit obvious but it’s true, the standard of burger all depends on the price that the purchaser is willing to pay.
Frozen burgers however must be cooked fully through and sometimes this leaves them as thin floppy disc pieces of rubber, a cow died in vain to bring you this fine piece of beef, well we hope it was a cow! but enough of that horsing around….
Many years ago a restaurant in our wonderful capitol city decided to mince their own meat and serve their burgers rare, medium rare & medium.
They were hardly open before they had to stop serving , the reason being that minced meat may still contain bacteria and therefore should only be served well done , however ….. how does this work on the continent or around the world where minced meat is eaten raw or rare ,well this is how it works …… they take the risk and that’s it.
When you order a burger cooked any other way than well done you are taking a chance that it might be contaminated but lets be honest with the wonderful hygiene requlations we have in place now the risk is minimal but its still there .
Here are a few precautions you can take to ensure your mince is as good as you can get.
Try and buy from a local butcher, pre packed mince is really not what i would consider good mince for burgers.
Ask the butcher to mince it fresh for you using real steak no fat through it. The brighter the colour of the mince (as in red colour ) the fresher it will be , dark mince has been exposed to air over a long period of time so therefore it has been sitting in the fridge or per packed (good for making chilli or lasagna ) not good for burgers.
Get the mince home as quickly as possible and straight into the fridge. I often carry a cool box with me and ice packs to transport meat or chilled foods home.
Use the mince that day, so maybe a Saturday shopping will result in burgers for Saturday evening tea , fake away not take away !
Know where your meat is coming from. The mincing process means that any meat contaminated on the outside will be minced through all the meat , so a clean butchers shop with good hygiene is a must , watch you butcher to see if they wash their hands before , after or during their time serving you , take a wee look around is there soap available for them and hand drying facilities all very important for your protection , im not a big fan of rubber gloves but in some cases that are a must.
When cooking your burger make sure you are happy with the way it is cooked if you like it well done then cook it well done but don’t burn it , that’s a waste of good meat.
Personally I wouldn’t reheat a burger although it can be done if cooked from raw and fresh but it really will be like rubber!
You may of course use minced turkey or pork to make burgers these must always be served well done to avoid food poisoning .
Minced venison and lamb may also be used , these may be served medium to rare if you wish.
So onto the recipe.
The first thing about this recipe is that the burgers should be cooked well done but my following my instructions they will be juicy , tasty and you’ll be opening your own drive in takeaway you’ll be that popular!
You will need
200g of mince of your choice per person
50g of white or brown breadcrumbs per person
tabasco sauce , lemon pepper , salt if you use it
Chopped parsley or tarragon
Grain mustard (optional )
Salad leaves
Floury baps
Raw onion thinly sliced
Red cheddar or smoked cheese slices
Dill pickle sliced .
Coconut oil for cooking
Method
In a clean bowl add your mince , crumbs , egg , herbs, seasoning and a dash of Tabasco .
Mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands , you may even use your mixing bowl with the hook attachment .
Add a teaspoon of mustard and mix again .
Divide into equal portions and shape into burgers or if making only one then make one !
Heat a little coconut oil in a pan and cook your burgers ,cook them well done as they contain egg .
Toast your baps and but when the top bap is done add the slice of cheese and melt it into the bap .
Place your toasted bottom onto a plate and layer with the salad , pickle and finally onion put your cooked burger on top of the salad and finally the cheesy toasted top .
Serve straight away .
The reason I put the salad on the bottom is that it gives the burger a base to sit on and the juices will not make the bap soggy , you may also add tomato if you wish or a good relish , so tasty .
The burger below is on my bucket list , it’s from the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas , kill you stone dead !
Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend .
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