Taste Life

By Danielle Cardozo

You hear it all summer long.

“I love barbecue season!”

Well truth be known that in my house, barbecue season is year round. You can find me mid January sneaking back and forth in the snow, from the kitchen to the back deck for the perfectly charcoaled medium rare strip loin. As I discuss this with more people, it seems to be the case with a lot of us in the Kootenays. The fact of the matter is that barbecue tastes better.

But for some reason, however, during the summer months, my Weber Charcoal barbecue seems to have a significantly higher number of burgers visiting its grill. I think it has something to do with the factor of ease involved with burgers. It also could have something to do with being busy as a single working mom of three. I genuinely do feel a burger with bun, cheese, and veggies, can be considered a complete meal. (Note: It hits all four food groups. Though maybe not in the appropriate portions).

Now I didn’t always see it this way, and please do not think that I would ever consider a fast food burger a complete meal. I started thinking this way when I started making my own burgers at home this summer.

Thanks to an episode of MasterChef Canada, where we were forced to make freshly ground burgers from a choice of lamb, duck, bison, kangaroo, and more exotic options; I’ve started grinding my own meat at home. At home I keep it a little more simple: beef. And unlike the hand crank style meat grinder they used on the show (which taught me just how much upper body strength I don’t have), I prefer to use an automated Kitchen Aid attachment to grind my meat. No, I am not afraid of hard work. Yes, I am a fan of convenience.

So is there truly a difference between store bought ground beef and home ground beef? Absolutely.

1. Freshness. There is no comparison. The only way I can convince you is to try it. I promise you will taste the difference. You know that slightly “off” smell that grocery store ground beef produces quite quickly. It’s not supposed to be there, no matter what the meat department tells you. It’s not there when you grind it yourself.

2. Doneness. It’s best when cooking store bought ground beef, to cook it well done. This is because ground beef has a great deal of surface area to carry bacteria, and lets face it, we have no clue how all of that surface area has been handled. When you grind your own meat, you can safely serve up a burger done medium!

3. Cuts. You pick it. Sirloin. Strip loin. Prime Rib. Tenderloin. Okay, I don’t actually recommend anyone ever make a burger from tenderloin. My personal favorite is a blend of 50/50 sirloin and prime rib. You get the meaty sirloin with a blend of more tender and marbled prime rib. It’s the perfect blend in my opinion.

So how do you do it? You cut your meat into one inch chunks and pop it through the course setting on your grinder. Easy at that. But if you want the absolute perfect steakhouse burger. Follow this easy recipe, and if you can, make sure you cook it on charcoal!

Perfect Summer Steakhouse Burgers

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and torn into small pieces

1/3 cup milk

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 pounds home ground beef of choice

3 scallions (This is the culinary term for a standard green onion. I actually use 6 but I am scallion obsessed!)

Pam spray or other non-stick food spray.

12 hamburger buns

Instructions

Preheat the grill to high heat.

In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together. Add all other seasonings and mix well.

Add in the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Gently mix everything together until just combined.

Divide the mixture into twelve equal portions. Flatten balls into 3/4 inch patties. I like to use a piece of parchment and a plate to do this. Just place the ball on the parchment and squeeze down with a place. (Helpful Hint: Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.)

Spray the burgers with non-stick spray. Some people like to spray the grill, but I prefer to spray the burger.

Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, turning 2-4 minutes on each side depending on desired doneness.

Hope you enjoy your perfect summer steakhouse burger!

Danielle

XOXO

– Danielle Cardozo is a mom of three, entrepreneur, and shameless idealist. Whether it be creating it, sharing it, or writing about it; the culinary world is her ultimate passion. Danielle placed eighth on the first ever season of CTV’s MasterChef Canada, and has continued blazing her trail in the culinary world since. Danielle contributes her success to hard work and being stubborn, as she’s never believed anyone who has told her she can’t do something.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/danielle.c.cardozo

Website https://daniellecardozo.ca/

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