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Unique Burgers...

2K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  koukouvagia 
#1 ·
It is said and believed that the hamburger is not intrinsically a bizarre food. However, I believe that in the hands of the right creative cook (or overly-enthusiastic chef), that single hunk of meat and two buns can become nothing short of astonishing. What traditional-hamburger-turned-innovative-indulgence have you produced that makes you proud? Please share any additional comments on extremely-spectacular burgers that another kitchen-aficionado may have created for you while dining out, as well.



As for me, I find my personal creation for what I call tonight's complacently prepared burger to be this month's star from my stove. I guess I will call it.... the Cajun Innovation Burger.

---Using a 50/50 mix of ground bison and grass-fed ground beef with S&P, chili powder, grated garlic & chopped red onion, I created a nice sized patty to be cooked in a cast iron skillet.

---Between the toasted and sliced potato bun, I topped the med-rare patty with habanero cheddar cheese... placed avocado, sliced tomato and lettuce, with a chipotle/agave aioli I threw together.



I find I'm equally as intrigued to discover any unique favorites that any of you may like to share.
 
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#2 ·
Pizza Burger my way    2 -  5 to the pound patties pressed thin  (1/2 sausage  1/2 beef  --- 3 T Marinara sauce--- 1 1/4 ounce chunk Mozzerella

Place 1 patty  on bench on a piece of patty paper  Proceed to put marinara and cheese on it . Place other patty on top and slightly press together. Grill or broil . serve on  one of the Arnold sandwich thin rounds. Accompany with a small tossed salad.
 
#3 ·
The basic recipe I use when making hamburgers seems normal to me, but when I made burgers for some friends a couple of weeks ago, they all commented on how different they were. I use ground deer mixed with 10% beef fat and season with S&P, Worchestershire sauce (a lot of it), chili powder, onion powder, garlic salt, lemon pepper, ground cumin, and ground thyme. I make about 3-4 patties per pound of meat and top them with red onions that have been sauteed with some dark tequila.

And scarletswitchit, just curious what led you to call your creation, which sounds delicious, a Cajun burger? Sounds like it's very heavily Mexican influenced.
 
#4 ·
Was the comment that they were good different or bad different?

I like venison, but if you invited me over for burgers and I didn't know you were serving venison, and had never had it...I would probably not enjoy the burger. You have a lot going on in that burger,

Game meat, lots of worchestershire, chili, cumin, thyme, and topped with tequila onions?

I was all set to come over for a good 'ol greasy cheese burger!
 
#6 ·
Are you blackening this? If not why the term Cajun Burger when it' actually spanish or mexican influenced.?
 
#7 ·
The basic recipe I use when making hamburgers seems normal to me, but when I made burgers for some friends a couple of weeks ago, they all commented on how different they were. I use ground deer mixed with 10% beef fat and season with S&P, Worchestershire sauce (a lot of it), chili powder, onion powder, garlic salt, lemon pepper, ground cumin, and ground thyme. I make about 3-4 patties per pound of meat and top them with red onions that have been sauteed with some dark tequila.
That's more sausage than burger!
 
#8 ·
I'm with the "no frills" camp, but...

For my One Cow Burger I buy a hunk of chuck roast, on sale (usually 4-5lbs. of the leanest I can find).

I chop it up into about one inch cubes and chill in freezer for about 20 minutes.

Then I send the cubes through the large, then small, grinder plates of my Kitchen Aid grinder

attachment (chilling meat in freezer in between grinding plates if necessary, but usually not).

Lastly, I portion into 5 to 5 1/2 oz. balls and shape into roughly 5 inch diameter 1/2 inch thick

patties. I often freeze them at this point so I can always have a great burger in minutes for

a quick meal (or when I just plain feel like a burger). I cook them from a frozen state in a cast

iron grill pan. I haven't got past the fact that they are sooo darn good all they need is the

usual bun and garnish (lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, ketchup/mayo, mustard and a slice of cheese)

so I usually don't do anything else with them, 'cept put slice or two of bacon on it.

YUM!
 
#9 ·
Last summer I did a little "thought experiment" with my wife.  We had one day off together a week and to keep her involved in the cooking process I would get her to challenge me while out shopping.  The idea would be she would name a classic dish, from any tradition, and I'd have to express it as a burger for that night's dinner.

We did many different dishes this way but the best, and the only one I still make, was the pirogi burger.  The patty was a blend of pork shoulder and slab bacon.  The bun was essentially an irish potato bread that I cooked "wrong"-- low temp with a lot of humidity in the oven so that it cooked but took very little colour and crumb.  The toppings were more mashed potatoes, thined out with sour cream and scallion into a crema and a mixture of fresh purple cabbage and saurkraut.  This is surprisingly good and really reflected the source material well.

--Al
 
#10 ·
"Cajun" because of the overall taste after prepared.  The black pepper, garlic and smoked chili powder were so prominent that it was similar enough to a cajun rub I have used frequently, of course, the burger didn't have paprika, oregano or thyme that the rub does.

I completely see the argument with the mexican influenced spices, but i'm sure it all just depends on the amount of each spice one chooses to flavor the patty for it to taste more or less "influenced" by a particular cuisine.  In this case, my proportions didn't provide a heavy mexican flavor.  I'm sure if I threw come cumin in the mix, the name would be different.  But hey, it wasn't created for a cookbook or anything... the name just felt (and tasted) right, at the time.
 
#11 ·
I'm not a huge fan of specialty burgers, I prefer a simple well prepared beef patty with good cheese on good bread and good fresh toppings.  I'm a bore.

My one diversion when making burgers is to stuff each patty with a glob of herbed butter.  Even if you overcook it it stays super moist and flavorful.
 
#12 ·
I usually like my burger plain, sometimes I'll add chopped garlic and/or shallots in the ground beef.

However I discovered a specialty "Greek burger" in what has to be the best Greek restaurant in Los Angeles (Petros), and I just love it. Mixture of ground beef and lamb, red onion relish, confite tomatoes, kafteri cheese & a nice, thick slice of golden beet (almost just as thick as the patty itself). Unbelievable. I get one every time I get a chance to stop at that restaurant. Who'd have thunk a slice of roasted golden beet could be the perfect topping for a burger?? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif
 
#13 ·
I found this one in an issue of Canadian Living Magazine sometime in the 1990s...

They called it "British Beef Burgers" and it is one pound of ground beef,  a tsp of horseradish, some Worcestershire, diced onions and salt and pepper.  That's mixed and then formed into patties and grilled until done on both sides.  If you do it their way it's served on an english muffin with red onion slices.  It appealed to me because I am allergic to eggs and I'm always on the hunt for eggless recipes.  Their version did not hold together well on the bbq so I had to make some changes plus a burger for me is more than meat, bun and onions.  The one thing I can say though is do not flip them too early.. you need to give them a good eight minutes before flipping as if you don't they will crumble.   A burger basket might help but I don't own one so I do the eight minute thing...

My twist on it..

one pound of ground beef, about 1/4 cup raw cream of wheat, 1 tbsp of horseradish, 1 tsp of  HP sauce, about 1/2 tbsp Mrs Dash (or other no salt seasoning), 2 cloves of garlic, minced and extra cream of wheat if needed.  Mix the beef with the rest of the ingredients and what you should be left with is a dry meat mix.. if it is still a little wet looking add a bit more cream of wheat.  Grill until thoroughly cooked on both sides and serve on your favourite bun (mine is a small kaiser from our local bakery) and top to your liking.  I also brush a little bbq sauce (homemade or otherwise) on the patties just before serving and I grill them for about a minute on each side with the sauce on them. 
 
#14 ·
FF,

Right out of the ball park.....

These are a few of my favorite things.....

" Mixture of ground beef and lamb, red onion relish, confite tomatoes, kafteri cheese & a nice, thick slice of golden beet

I have tried a few recipes last year, going to give this some thought .....unique svizzere.
 
#15 ·
Last summer I did a little "thought experiment" with my wife. We had one day off together a week and to keep her involved in the cooking process I would get her to challenge me while out shopping. The idea would be she would name a classic dish, from any tradition, and I'd have to express it as a burger for that night's dinner.

We did many different dishes this way but the best, and the only one I still make, was the pirogi burger. The patty was a blend of pork shoulder and slab bacon. The bun was essentially an irish potato bread that I cooked "wrong"-- low temp with a lot of humidity in the oven so that it cooked but took very little colour and crumb. The toppings were more mashed potatoes, thined out with sour cream and scallion into a crema and a mixture of fresh purple cabbage and saurkraut. This is surprisingly good and really reflected the source material well.

--Al
I love your idea of getting your wife to "challenge" you. this is a great idea for a chef and his wife. I think it brings some romance back into a "career driven" relationship. Congrats!

My burger...70% ground beef 30% ground lamb, s&p, curry powder (heavy), sauteed red onions and a touch of cayenne pepper; grilled kaiser roll, pepperjack cheese, shaved iceberg lettuce, thick sliced tomato and a mixture 70/30 mayo mustard. Cooked medium rare of course.
 
#16 ·
I usually like my burger plain, sometimes I'll add chopped garlic and/or shallots in the ground beef.

However I discovered a specialty "Greek burger" in what has to be the best Greek restaurant in Los Angeles (Petros), and I just love it. Mixture of ground beef and lamb, red onion relish, confite tomatoes, kafteri cheese & a nice, thick slice of golden beet (almost just as thick as the patty itself). Unbelievable. I get one every time I get a chance to stop at that restaurant. Who'd have thunk a slice of roasted golden beet could be the perfect topping for a burger?? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif
Do you mean kasseri cheese or the spicy kafteri cheese spread? I've tried a lamb burger with kasseri and it's awesome but I've never tried kafteri, yum.
 
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