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Raising The Burger To Gourmet Heights

Think burgers are cheap and nasty food? Think again!

A comedian recently proclaimed on television that you don’t find young American couples ‘going for an English’, to which someone retorted, ‘...yes, but all you eat are burgers’.

True enough, well not actually that true in reality, but if your idea of a burger is that shaken out of a frozen cardboard box, or prized apart from a tower of iced-up perfect circles of what could be meat but more rather looks like frozen compost, you really ought to think again about burgers.

The thing about burgers is they are a depository for so many different flavours, and with care, you can create some seriously gourmet food. The reason why we so often like fast food restaurant burgers is hardly for the meat portion itself, but the pickles, sauces and condiments added to them. The additions are important and how you flavour your burger essentially can make or break it. 

There is a reason why Mcdonald's are so popular throughout the world. They make a darn good burger, and there's a reason for that. They got the ratios spot on! From the meat to the toppings to the sauces all the way down to the bun that encases it. Everything just seems in proportion. 

Okay, I know what you're thinking if Weschenfelder thinks McDonald's does a good burger then what am I doing making my own? 

The thing about making your own burger is that you are in charge. You know what is going into it and you can season it to your exact preference. And dare we say our burger seasonings are a little more for the finer burger makers to Mcdonald's.


Where did the Burger Originate?

I must admit that for most of my life, I thought hamburgers were so-called because they were made from ham or at least pork. But just as the Frankfurter came from Frankfurt and the Wiener from Vienna, the Hamburger actually originated in Hamburg and was taken to America by immigrant workers in the 1700s. Maybe the most popular cuisine in the world is actually German, not French, Asian or Italian!   Hamburg steak was a way of cooking pates of finely chopped beef, some would say originated in the Russian dish Steak Tartare,  which was reputed to have been brought to Russia by the Mongols, whose hordes used to eat raw steak that had been pounded under their saddles all day long.

It wasn’t until 1885 that the hamburger as the Americans know it was born, when a chap who became known as ‘Hamburger Charlie’ started to sell pates of ground beef on bread with salad and pickle. He continued his trade until his death in 1951.


 

What makes a burger a burger?

You can buy hamburgers for 12.5 p each. Spend another ha’penny and you can get them flavoured with onion salt, too!  The law says that such economy burgers have to be 60% meat of the type mentioned for them to pass as a burger.

A “burger” is a simple enough concept—put a ground beef patty on a bun with some vegetables, condiments, and perhaps cheese (just kidding, cheese is always involved), and you’ve got a burger. The thing about a burger is that people have strong opinions on what makes the best burger and even stronger opinions on what does not. What ingredient has no right to be even added to a burger? A bit like pineapples on a pizza. 

 

Homemade Burgers

Yep, you don't have to buy burgers in the supermarket or at a fast-food chain (though Mcdonald's burgers do taste great) yep I said it again. Obviously, homemade leaves you in total control of what makes a burger. You can add to it whatever you like - but there are some prerequisites to making a really tasty burger, so here they are:

THE MEAT - The fat content of a good burger is important. Fat makes flavour, but there is an optimum amount. Too little and the burger will be lightweight in flavour, and possibly drier than it should be. However, too much and you will be left with a greasy aftertaste. Around 10% fat makes a good burger. For this reason, good quality minced steak is ideal. You can use beef, pork or lamb for many recipes, and combining meats to make a successful combination burger - so long as all the meats are equally lean.

 

TEMPERATURE - You can buy ready-ground minced steak from the supermarket, but do try to keep it as cool as possible. I often buy a bag of ice cubes to keep my meat cool before taking it home for grinding in the kitchen. I also put my grinder in the freezer for a while to cool it. This cooling process does a number of things. Firstly it keeps the meat from warming and increasing the chances of bacterial spoilage. Secondly, as the meat cools, and as microscopic ice crystals begin to form in the cells, they rupture a little and you get a smoother paste - something I learned from sausage making.

SALT - Ordinary kitchen salt will do if you are making your own seasoning from scratch. Many burgers are around 1.8% - 2.8% salt, and this, my cardiac nurse tells me, is far too much. So I make burgers at 1% salt. This is sprinkled over the minced meat and very thoroughly worked into all of it. At just 10g per kilo of meat, this is a low-salt product indeed. However, should you choose to use more salt, it’s your decision. All you need to do to check the seasoning is to take a little of the pate, cook it and see if it is to your taste. 

Breadcrumbs or Rusk - Breadcrumbs are there to soak up cooking juices and help bind the minced meat together. Burgers, however, can be made without breadcrumbs or if you are gluten-free, there are gluten-free breadcrumbs available. 

Moisture - Burgers are really excellent when it comes to moisture. You can be really imaginative.  Forget water! Red wine, port, apple juice, sweet chilli sauce - you can make any number of flavours. A pork and apple burger is seriously great with 5% - 10% apple juice. There are many reasons for adding liquid to burgers but the main reason is that It helps to even out and distribute the seasonings evenly and binds the meat together.

Seasoning - Everything you add to the burger, vegetables, cheeses, salt, and spices are called seasonings. We obviously think our perfectly blended burger seasonings are the way forward.  All you add is add it to your meat with some water.

If you have a go at making your seasoning from scratch make sure you use salt to preserve your burgers for longer. Always test your burgers seasoning by frying a bit off before pressing them into burgers. This way you can adjust your seasonings to your taste.

Getting the shape right - You can use your hand to create a burger - simply press the meat using the palm of your hand to make your pates into a sort of burger shape or if you really want to step up your game and create perfectly uniform burgers that will have your friends and family coming round for more, a burger press is the way to go.

 
 


Recipes

The Original Burger

This is basically cooking steak tartare in the Hamburg fashion with an American twist and will make 6 - 8 burgers easily.

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

800g minced steak

125g Breadcrumbs

125g strong Cheddar cheese - use Monterrey Jack for an authentic touch

8 slices of smoked bacon, grilled

Instructions

1. Fry the onions until golden, not burned, and set aside to cool

2. Season the meat with one level teaspoon of salt (cook a small portion to check the seasoning for you)

3. Mix the onions and meat thoroughly. Weigh out 120g of meat and then mould it into a burger. Repeat the process.

4. Cook on the grill on both sides and serve topped with cheese and 2 broken-up rashers of bacon each.



Beef & Stilton burger

This is an easy burger to make, with killer results. You will eat too many - guaranteed! Enough for 6 burgers.

Ingredients

500g Minced Steak

125g Blue Stilton cheese

125ml - Port

125g breadcrumbs

1 level tsp salt

1/2tsp crushed black Pepper

1 finely chopped spring onion - green bits too

 

Instructions

1. Add the salt and pepper to the meat and mix well.

2. Simply crumble the breadcrumbs and cheese into the meat. Get your hands in and mix well.

3. Slowly add the port to the mix and constantly mix using your hands.

4. Once the meat is completely bound together and all seasoning is evenly distributed, form into burgers.

5. If not cooking straight away, freeze in vacuum bags if possible.

6. Cook slowly and serve with salad. This has to be the best.

 


Weschenfelder Venison and Game Burger 

Minced Venison steak (3.7kg) (You can use any game meat here)

Cold Water (1 pint, 0.56kg)

Venison and Game Burger Seasoning (1 packet, 0.34kg)

 

Instructions 

1. Mince the Meat

2. Add the burger seasoning and mix with meat thouroughly.

3.. Add the water bit by bit whilst constantly mixing and binding the meat together.

4. Simply shape them into burgers.

5. Cook slowly and serve with your favourite toppings. 

 


Easy chilli burger

If you enjoy a little spice in your burger then this is the recipe for you.

Enough for 8 burgers

800 g minced lamb steak (or beef if needs be)

100 g breadcrumbs

3 garlic cloves grated

1 onion, finely chopped

125 ml sweet chilli sauce

5 g salt

 

Instructions

Same as the above recipes.

(As an addition for colour and a little flavour, slice very thinly a red pepper of your choice - remember the smaller ones are hotter - to give slithers about 1cm long, by no more than a couple of millimetres thick)

Cook the onions until golden and season the meat, checking as necessary.

Once the onions are cool, combine everything and form into burgers.

Cook under the grill on both sides. 

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