Aug 27, 2008
Tomorrow I'm on Vancouver's Bill
Good Show talking about burgers and taking listener calls.
Here's one of my favorite burger recipes from Barbecue Secrets,
along with a few suggestions for unusual burger toppings.
Classic Dadburger
Deluxe
Makes 12 to 16 patties, depending on how big you like them
This recipe will feed a crowd, or four teenagers. You can easily
halve this recipe. If your kids are like mine and don’t like bits
of onion and garlic in their burgers, substitute 1 tsp/5 mL each of
granulated onion and granulated garlic for the fresh variety.
For the burger mix:
6 lb | 2.7 kg medium ground beef
(or half-and-half ground beef and ground pork)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 head roasted garlic, cloves squeezed out and mashed with a
fork
1 Tbsp | 15 mL toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp | 25 mL dark soy sauce or
Worcestershire sauce or a combination
1/2 tsp | 2 mL freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp | 1 mL cayenne
(or more, if you like more heat)
lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup | 125 mL cold water
To finish the burgers:
barbecue sauce
12 to 16 cheese slices (optional)
12 to 16 hamburger buns
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Mix the burger ingredients
together with your hands in a large nonreactive bowl. Wet your
hands in cold water before you form the mixture into chunks the
size of tennis balls. Flatten them into patties, placing them on
the cookie sheet. Each patty will be about 1/2 lb. | 250 g before
cooking. Place them in the freezer for an hour to firm them up.
Preheat your grill for medium direct heat. Grill the burgers for 6
minutes per side, or until they are springy to the touch, glazing
them on both sides with barbecue sauce. Top each patty with a slice
of cheese for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Serve the
burgers on buns with your favorite condiments.
A Library of Burger
Toppings
We’re all so used to iceberg lettuce, ketchup, mayo, ballpark
mustard, green relish, and sliced onion and tomato on our burgers
that we hardly notice them any more. Try these unusual burger
toppings for a change and experiment with your own
combinations.