Grinding your own hamburger has a number of advantages.
- First, you can select the cut of beef yourself, getting something you know will be good.
- Second, you control how much fat goes into the burgers yourself, so you can make them as juicy or as lean as you'd like.
- Third, you have less chance of having bacteria-infested meat (as long as you follow good handling procedures) so you can prepare your burgers rare if you'd like.
The following recipe is a good starting point. You'll probably find yourself adding other herbs and spices to it. Have fun!
Makes 4 large patties.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb beef roast or steak
- 1 extra large egg
- 6 spring onions or one smallish to medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 slice dried-out bread
- salt and pepper to season
- optional other herbs and spices
Instructions:
- Remove gristle and some of the fat from the roast.
- Cube beef into 1" (2 cm) cubes.
- Chop onions into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks.
- Crush garlic clove with knife, removing skin, and chop coarsely.
- Add any other spices you might desire.
- Throw it all into the food processor and run until beef is ground to desired fineness.
- Chop bread finely and mix enough into the meat so the patties aren't too squishy (from the egg) and bind well.
- Form into patties and let rest for at least 10 minutes before cooking.
- Cook on grill or in skillet.
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes.
Cooking time: 5-20 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is, how done you want 'em, and how thick you made the patties. I've done fairly thin rare hamburgers in as little as about 90 seconds per side.