Good evening everyone! There are certain terms or processes in the culinary world that paralyze the at home chef. Some lose all confidence once talk of “poaching” or “tempering” enters the equation. Others begin to fret when “braise” or “brine” cross the instructions of a recipe. Each cook has their own region where they’re not quite as comfortable as others. The one common denominator that I’ve found is grinding. Once talk turns to grinding your own meat, the everyday at home chef throws up their hands and proclaims “I don’t have the tools or time for that” or that it “Isn’t worth the effort!” We’ve covered grinding for yourself previously on the blog – but today we’re using it for burgers. A result that is surely causing some of you at home to say “It’s not worth the effort”. 1) It IS worth the effort and 2) it’s very little effort
Stick with me and follow these easy steps and you too can create one of the best burgers you’ll ever enjoy.
The Recipe: Sirloin Burger
What You’ll Need:
8 Ounces Sirloin Steak
8 Ounces Chuck Roast
1 Egg
½ Cup Fine Bread Crumbs
The process of grinding your own meat is so incredibly simple, when we first learned how to do it we couldn’t believe it wasn’t more common. As I mentioned in the open, we covered this process in a previous recipe, but we’ll recount the steps once again today.
Begin by finding a sirloin steak and chuck roast from your local butcher. Don’t search out ground sirloin – first it may be tough to find and secondly, the premium cost added to ground sirloin isn’t worth it when it so easy to do on your own.
Look for a quality steak with decent marbling, but remember that you’re grinding this beast. It doesn’t have to be the prettiest steak on the shelf, just look for quality. Once you’ve selected your steak and roast, cut them into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. Working in sessions, add a few handfuls of the cubed meats (about half of each) into a large food processor and pulse for ten, 1 second intervals. This should yield a nice and even grind. Remove the ground meat, set aside and repeat until off the meat has been ground. Then combine the meat. Add in the egg (beaten) and the bread crumbs and work the mixture into 4 separate, equally sized balls and work those balls into patties.
Lightly season the outside of each patty with salt and pepper and then allow the patties to rest in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before placing them on a 300 degree grill. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side and top with lettuce, cheese, onions and any other toppings you desire.
While it was a new recipe, I didn’t feel that sharing how to grind your own sirloin burgers was quite enough this week. As such, we’re adding this tasty side dish that compliments your burgers (or any other grilled meal) perfectly.
The Recipe: Grilled Asparagus
What You’ll Need:
1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
Salt / Pepper
The quantity of the ingredients above will vary based on a whole range of factors – so we’ve left out any specific measurements. To prepare, simple wash and trim your asparagus before adding them to a large (1 gallon) zip top bag. Add in enough olive oil so that a few light tossing will evenly cover all of the asparagus, then do the same for the lemon juice. Finally, toss in the garlic cloves (garlic powder works in a pinch as well) and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and work everything around vigorously (so that all of the asparagus are evenly coated). Allow the bag to rest for 10 to 15 minutes (flip the bag halfway through) before transferring the asparagus to a piping hot grill (300 degrees is ideal). Allow the asparagus to cook for 5 minutes before flipping them and cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy!
The Results:
First and foremost, this burger will be one of the best you’ve ever made. If you wanted to go bold, you can use this base for all of your creative burger creations. Of course, sirloin runs a bit pricey so that isn’t entirely realistic – but if you’re looking for a high quality burger that will impress the crowd or if you’re just looking to treat yourself with something special – this recipe is the easiest (and most effective) way to do so.
The grilled asparagus is one of my all time dishes on the grill, and this is coming from someone who won’t eat asparagus in any other form. With this marinade and the evolution the asparagus undertakes once grilled, these green little stems become an absolute delicacy – if you’ve never tried grill asapargus before, give it a shot. You’ll be amazed at how flavorful this side dish is!
We’re back with two brand new recipes next week. Until then,
~Cheers
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