Meat Burgers

I can’t believe that we used to eat such revolting burgers (patties) or “meat” cutlets. As kids, we used to think that having those Dalepak lamb grills, were such a treat – ugh. Now, that I’ve grown up, my tastes are more refined and I’m more educated with food and nutrition – there’s no way, I’ll go near those alien things again.

Making your own meat burgers (patties) or cutlets are easy. All you need is meat, bit of onion, salt and pepper. You don’t even need to use minced (ground) meat, you can simply blitz it in a food processor. I usually season my burger (patties) with light soy sauce and sesame oil, onion and may be some chili or garlic on occasion. If I do use garlic in the meat burger (patty) I will either par-boil it for 1-2 minutes and go pretty easy with it. This is because raw garlic won’t cook very well whilst in the burger and you’ll end up with a quite spicily, garlicky burger.

I make these for when we have burgers and fries, or as an alternative to other proteins during the week. If you're looking for a recipe for a burger bun, you can use my potato roll recipe (I'll add this later).

You can make a big batch and freeze them with a layer of wax paper in between.


MEAT BURGERS
Makes 2

Ingredients
227 g (½ lb) chicken thighs, lamb, beef or pork
¼ small onion, peeled and finely minced
1-2 cloves of garlic, par-boiled or 1-2 minutes (optional), crushed
1 T light soy sauce
½ t sesame oil
1 T breadcrumbs^
Black pepper**

* If the meat isn’t minced (ground), pop it into a food processor and blitz until minced (ground) – try not to overdo it, it has better texture when there are a few whole lumps in the meat. I prefer to use the leaner cuts of meat, but that’s entirely up to you.

^You may not need to use breadcrumbs with some meat. I’ve found that with chicken thighs, it’s necessary; otherwise the meat is very “wet” to handle.

** To make a Szechuan pepper burger, substitute the black pepper for 1 t of ground Szechuan pepper. This works well with chicken or pork.

Method
1. In a large bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic, if using), soy sauce, sesame oil, breadcrumbs and season with black pepper.

2. Combine the mixture with either your hands or a spoon until everything is incorporated. Divide into two equal sized balls and shape into burgers (patties) or cutlets. Place onto a plate, cover with cling film (plastic-wrap) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until needed.

3. When ready to cook, either grill (broil), barbecue, or fry in a pan until done. Enjoy!