Sleep Deprivation and Burgers

I woke up just before 11pm Sunday evening to start the first of five graveyard shifts. Since Sunday evening I've had about five hours of sleep and a lot of caffeine. I'm a little confused about how today is Tuesday. I'd sleep, but I work again tonight and I don't want to mess up my sleep schedule more than it already is. That brings me to why I am here, writing this post. I need to stay awake for a couple more hours so I am distracting myself by passing on my burger recipe! I made these the other night and even my brother who doesn't like burgers really enjoyed them :) As for the recipe itself...its far from exact. I didn't measure so just bear with me, the flavours are worth it.

Awesome Hamburger Recipe! (makes about 1 dozen patties)

Dry Spices: Mix equal amounts in a large bowl;

Italian Spice Blend (Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Sage) - Gives beef a good flavour
Cumin - Adds a hint of flavourful heat
Lemon&Pepper Seasoning - This spice blend is a bit more zesty than regular old pepper
Tumeric - Doesn't add much to the flavour, but does add nice colour to the beef and is good for you!


Also, add a sprinkle of salt and a little bit of sugar too (which balances the acids of the wet ingredients)

Wet Ingredients: Add to your dry spices and mix;

Dijon Mustard - Add approx. pthbbt amount to your large bowl
Chopped Garlic - A teaspoons worth of garlic. Use real garlic gloves for bonus points!
Soy Sauce - A couple tablespoons or so will do
Worchestershire Sauce - Pronounced wooster if you didn't know, it is essential to make beef extra yummy. A couple dashes is enough, this stuff is strong!
One Egg - To bind it
Optional: Maggi Seasoning - My mom picked this up somewhere, it adds the savoury flavour the Japanese call Umami. The Worchester Sauce basically does this already, the Maggi is a bit sweeter so I like to add both, but most won't have Maggi (which is awesome to dip steak in fyi) so that is why it is optional.

Beef and Breadcrumbs: I think I used 2lbs of beef, it was a pretty large amount but I don't remember the size of the package. It was rectangular, that is about it. Anyway, plop your package of beef into your spice mix and start mixing it together. You can use a big spoon, but I find the easiest way is to get hands on and squish it together. This allows you to break up the chunks more easily and make sure the mixture is nice and smooth, which makes for a nicer texture in the final product. As for breadcrumbs, I used Panko breading, which are Japanese breadcrumbs and are soooo awesome. Breadcrumbs soak up extra moisture, making for a leaner burger, and also add some space to the mix so it isn't as dense. Not everyone likes to add this, so it is optional as well.

Patties: Once the beef is all mixed up its time to form it into patties. A recipe I found online suggested to form a handful of meat onto a small plate, squishing it down so that the whole thing is covered. This allows you to get about the right portion. Once you have the right amount of meat roll it into a ball then flatten it with your palm, making sure the edges are rounded and uniform. The plate helps to get it round, because you can turn it as you shape the patty. Make sure it is fairly flat, because burger patties have a tendency to dome as they cook. They also shrink by about half; keep this in mind if you use the plate method because it results in patties that look way too big.

Cooking: You can cook these patties in the BBQ, or in the oven if you don't have a BBQ (or are out of propane like I was). This first step towards cooking is the BBQ sauce; I used BullsEye Honey Garlic Bonanza, which is bold without being spicy or overbearing. If you are BBQing, cook on medium-high to regular high for about 5 minutes each side, or until done. If you are using the oven, put the patties on a foil lined baking sheet and cook under the broiler for 5 minutes on each side, or until done. If in doubt use a meat thermometer; between 63°C (145°F) for rare, and 77°C (170°F) for well done.

Leftovers: You may have noticed that this recipe makes about a dozen burgers, which is a lot more then most people will eat, unless they have lots of guests. My family ate 6 burgers, which left 5 uneaten. We didn't cook them; instead we put parchment paper between them and froze them for later enjoyment! These are tasty burgers, but they do take a bit of effort, which is why freezing for future use is an awesome idea. Its even better when you forget about them, and then come across them in a couple weeks and get excited
for Awesome Burgers all over again.

While this wasn't the most coherent recipe, it does give you an idea of how to make super tasty burgers, so I hope you enjoyed it, and make your own version!


Elizabeth