Author Notes
I thought I'd had some pretty decent burgers until I ran up against the farmers' cooperative that sells, among other things, organically grown and locally butchered beef at our Farmers' Market here. It may be five bucks a pound, but it's worth every penny; I haven't bought "regular" ground beef since. Because it is quite lean, and has such a rich taste, I have experimented until I have perfected the burger method we love. And we each dress ours as we wish; mine often have blue cheese and onions grilled until they're brown and soft, or sometimes a slice of tomato and a slab of fresh mozzarella and three or four basil leaves, or a few slices of avocado and some homemade chipotle mayonnaise. I have been known to have a few with nothing but a slathering of Dijon mustard and a hefty portion of bread-and-butter pickles, too! - Kayb —Kayb
Test Kitchen Notes
This was just simply good. Grass-fed beef makes a good burger, but to my surprise I loved the celery salt and paprika in this recipe, which left a fresh and smoky flavor in every bite. I am not sure I will make a burger again without the celery salt. The egg and the bread crumbs kept it moist. As I said... simply good.- MyCommunalTable —The Editors
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Ingredients
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2 pounds
organic, grass-fed ground beef
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1
large egg, beaten
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1/2 cup
bread or cracker crumbs
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1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
celery salt
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1/2 teaspoon
smoked paprika
Directions
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Crumble beef into a bowl. Sprinkle with crumbs. Beat egg with Worcestershire and spices and drizzle over beef. Toss with a fork to combine, and form loosely into six patties, forming an indentation in the center of each (I have small hands, so I use the back of a tablespoon). Refrigerate patties for 30 minutes.
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Light grill and heat to medium hot. Bring burgers directly from fridge to grill; grill five minutes on one side directly over coals or flame, flip and grill three minutes on the other. Remove to edges of grill; if you are adding cheese, do so here. Toast buns for about 60 seconds.
I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!
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