How to make a good hamburger.
Until not too long ago, when we referred to hamburgers we immediately associated them with so-called junk food. Thinking that they would be elaborated with God knows what meat and with what else that surely was not.
Nowadays there is a tendency to prepare this type of food while maintaining quality and good workmanship. It is common to find this type of meat recipes in the menu of any restaurant. Most of the time with a section dedicated to this type of food, being able to find authentic gourmet hamburgers.
Burgers have become such a versatile dish that, oh surprise, they don’t even have to be meat, of course, they can be fish or, as in this case, vegetarian.
Today’s recipe is one more, but a delicious one, the one we have been preparing at home for years and that a lot of guests have tasted, saying that it is one of the best they have ever tasted. So you have the opportunity to make it at home and nothing prevents us to prepare at home some burgers of category.
Burger burgers that will make us enjoy this type of food again, so as a sample, this beef burger with onion confit.
Ingredients for homemade burger
- 500 g. of high quality veal meat
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 egg
- Fresh basil leaves
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- onion confit
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Arugula
- Goat cheese (or whatever you like to go with it)
- Hamburger bun
- Extra virgin olive oil
Before starting with the burger. The meat
We ask our butcher to chop the meat we have chosen to prepare the hamburgers. It is important not only to choose the meat but also that the butcher grinds it at the moment. When you cut a meat, what you are doing is breaking the tissues and making it oxidize.
The best thing to do is to ask for advice when choosing the type of meat, the more tender the better. Buy just the right amount for the burgers you are going to cook. Otherwise you will be obliged to use the excess and you will lose quality.
Before starting to cook do not forget to take the meat out of the refrigerator. At least, half an hour before and place it in a warm place so that it is tempered.
In a bowl we mix all the ingredients of the hamburger. On one side the minced meat, the well chopped garlic and the yolk of an egg previously beaten. I learned this trick in a class with Jesús Almagro, the beaten yolk to the meat will make it fluffier.
Basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese will also go into the mixture. The latter is optional and you should take it into account when adding salt.
Preparation and shape of the hamburgers
I usually try the meat as is before going to the pan to test if it is to my taste, it is almost a steak tartar.
Mix all the ingredients by kneading with your hands until they are all well integrated. I have chosen to include Parmesan cheese because it has a powerful flavor and it is one of my favorites. But it would be perfect with a well-cured Manchego cheese or another strong cheese of your choice.
And of course if you don’t like cheese or you are super purists with meat, eliminate this ingredient from the burger. We should never marinate the meat in acidic media such as vinegars or citrus juices. This is to prevent it from cooking and modifying its characteristics.
Preparation of our homemade hamburger
We divide the mixture in 4 parts that will correspond to the 4 hamburgers that we are going to form.
Each of the portions will be about 125 g.-150 g. and at room temperature. But if you prefer to make mini hamburgers the yield would be double. If you have a ring of those of plating, you can use it to give the burgers a more professional touch.
If not, we will simply have to shape each of the meat portions with our hands. Before putting in the frying pan is the moment to add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to the taste of each one.
In a frying pan we heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. We can even brush the meat with a little oil and not add oil to the frying pan, it is up to your choice and add the hamburgers.
The frying pan must be hot but without overcooking, we do not want the hamburgers to burn as we put them on the fire.
In a moment we can enjoy a totally homemade hamburger accompanied by quality products, a real gourmet hamburger.
