Thursday, August 16, 2012

Home-Made Burger

Trying to vamp up the weekly menu by doing something "out of the box" in terms of home food is concerned.   I got tired of cooking the usual fair, so I decided to give some umph to a boring menu by doing home-made burgers for dinner.

And the choice was well taken - and well eaten.


Note: I'm sort of having problems with digital imaging so from this point forward, I'll be posting recipes that don't have pictures. But will update it once my camera is fixed.

Ingredients (good for 4-5 modest burgers)

 1/4 kg ground beef
1/2 - 3/4 cup minced onions
3 cloves garlic grated
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

4-5 Gardenia hamburger buns

Condiments/Hamburger Bar
Ketchup
Mayonnaise/dressing
Sliced whole pickles (don't bother with relish)
Thinly sliced quick melt cheese or cheese singles
Mustard
Onions (cut in rings)
Tomatoes
Lightly toasted green finger peppers

Procedure

 Now, I don't usually promote a product but I feel I have to do tell you about the buns that I used as the size of the burgers you will make depends on how big (or how small) your hamburger buns will be.  And believe me, these buns can be pretty massive for the average Filipino appetite.  If you don't want to load on too much carbs (consuming two burgers), then create thicker meat patties to fill you up.

Step One: Caramelize the onions and garlic

Put the pan on low heat and add in about a tablespoon of oil. Don't worry too much if it seems a lot because the onions will shrink and the extra oil will be an excellent cooking medium for your burgers.

Add in your onions and garlic together and let the onions cook slowly.  Don't worry about the garlic. As long as you keep the flame low and maintain constant vigil on the pan, you will not burn a single piece of aromatic.   Let the slow heat cook the your ingredients until your onions become transparent and turn a glossy, brownish color. Note: brownish. Brownish! Not brown, not black, but a golden, see-through kind of appearance.

Why caramelize the onions?  To give a deeper and sweeter flavor to your burgers, and also to prevent those who dislike onions from getting a nasty bite. 

Can I Skip Caramelizing?

By all means you can, provided that you have minced the onions really well (either use a really, really sharp knife or a food processor). 

Why Add Onions In The First Place?

For health reasons.  Adding them will give your burgers moisture especially if you have chosen a lean cut of meat (which I did).  Instead of looking for moist, yummy burgers because of the fat, you'll have a moist, flavorful burger because of the onions.

Step 2: Forming the Patties

Once you are done, cool the onions a bit and mix it in with your meat and the rest of your ingredients.  Do not mash or knead the meat while you mix it. You are not making siu mai (or siomai), and handling your meat gently and gingerly will give you a better, tender, and moist burger. 

Form the burger by getting a respectable amount and forming it according to the size of your buns.  Lightly form into a ball then flatten it against your palm to the size of your preference. 

Slamming Burgers

Get any air pockets out by slamming the pattie on your hand. I'm right handed so I'll do this with my right hand; feel free to change if you're a leftie.

Place the pattie on your right hand, then position your left hand 6-8 inches below at an angle. Now, slam the pattie on your left hand like what you see kids do when they play that slamming disc game. Gingerly invert your left hand on your right hand to transfer the pattie without deforming the burger, then repeat. It should be done 3-6 times until you're satisfied with the form and firmness of your burger.  

Believe me, you will see the difference.

Step 3: Cooking the burger

Heat up the oil and put the burgers once hot, then form a depression at the middle. It's important that you use and keep the oil hot to prevent the juices from "leaking." Your intention is to fry your burger, not steam it.  Yes, there are steamed burgers in Man Vs. Food, but that owner used a special oven to keep the moisture in. Leaking meat juice while cooking will result in a dry, tough, and tasteless burger.

My pattie was almost (take not, almost) as thick as a quarter-pounder, but not nearly so. I cooked it 2-3 minutes per side as I want the meat still moist and juicy but not pink. If you trust your butcher, though, you can go rare (1min approx), medium (1min 30 secs approx) , or medium rare (1 min 50 secs approx).

If you wish to add cheese, put them once you flip your burgers to cook the other side, then cover as you cook to keep the heat in and steam-melt the cheese.

Can I Grill My Burgers?

This recipe is perfect for grilling. You do have to form thicker patties, or have a grill with thicker metal as opposed to those cheap wire-thin grills we usually see in cheap contraptions. 

Eating!

Heat up your buns then place the patties, topping them with your favorite add-ins.  If you have fries or crispy onion rings, then I envy you.

Perfect with soda or beer.


Written by at
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)