I love watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it shows how simple food can be so delicious when done right, especially when everything is made from scratch. So in the show, they showcased all sorts of food. I know everyone has this thing about searching for the perfect steak, or perfect pasta or perfect pie etc but here I am looking for a keeper-recipe at home for a perfect burger. I shall call this Burger Quest and here is Burger Quest #1.
I wanted to make beef burgers cause #1; it’s a common dish and #2; because of nostalgia. I remember mom used to make homemade burgers for us all the time and she used beef but she didn’t really put much seasonings into the mix. I added pork to the beef because of the 80:20 rule, the beef was super lean, so by adding a bit of minced pork (with some fat), it will keep the patties moist and juicy on the inside.
If there’s anything I learned from the show, is that you mustn’t overcrowd a burger with too much condiments or sauce. Which is why I have this love-hate-relationship with Ramlee Burgers. Occasionally when you eat one, you’ll feel like it’s the best thing you’re gonna have for that week but when I’m not feeling so much love for it, I’ll be thinking, man….why put so much stuff and sauces on a burger that it feels like a hot mess. I especially hate it when you put cucumbers in a burger. Cucumbers are meant to cool something down that is too spicy so unless your burger is filled with like…hot peppers…I don’t see the logic for it.
I stuck to as basic as I possibly can with onions (I love onions), tomatoes, salad (to keep the sauces from glooping), a mustard mayo and just for tang; my homemade BBQ sauce which is purely optional but it goes so well with the burger in the end. I wanted the patty to be the star of the burger. I thought this attempt produced a yummy burger. Maybe not super-fantastic-delicious yet but decent and the meat was moist and juicy and not super-hard like those frozen burger patties. Hubster was like ‘meh‘ but continued eating…. :-x????. I shall revisit burger quest again and maybe try different combination of meats and condiments next time.
Beef-Pork Burger
Burger Patties;
- 200 gms minced beef
- 50 – 70 gms minced pork (preferably with the fat)
- 1 big onion (minced)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Condiments;
- Mustard mayo (mustard mixed with mayo)
- Salad leaves
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced onions (into rings)
- BBQ sauce
- Cheddar cheese slices
- Chips (preferential)
Others;
- Olive oil
- Burger buns (sliced in half)
- Butter
- Mix all the ingredients for the burger patties together. If you’re wondering why I used minced onions, well….my mother always used minced and also because grated might be too wet. I used garlic powder in case raw garlic might be too acrid for this burger.
- Leave it to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or you can do this the night before for the flavours to infuse together.
- Shape your patties. Make the middle thinner than the sides so when it cooks it will be levelled and cook evenly.
- Cook your beef-pork patties in a pan with some olive oil. 1 min on first side and 2-3 mins on the other side on medium-low heat.
- When the patties are done, place the cheddar cheese slices on top of the patty and cover it with a lid. Turn off the heat.
- Butter and toast your buns. Spread some mustard mayo on the bottom bun. Put the burger-cheese patty on the bun.
- Top with tomatoes, onions, BBQ sauce and lastly salad leaves. Cover with the other half of the bun.
- Eat with chips or fries.
Condiments are really preferential, you don’t have to follow exactly what I used if you don’t have say, mustard or BBQ sauce.
Enjoy!
This post makes me so hungry!!!! Looks so yummy Sharon! Can Josiah eat this too?
Hi Hui Min, he just eat the patty with cheese and bread, no salad, tomatoes or raw onions. 🙂
Sharon, try salting the meat just before cooking. That way, the burger patty is more tender n juicy. I think patty + caramelized onion and mustard is just good. oh, good strong cheddar too.. don’t get the sliced n packed individually. Get those more orangey in colour.. it taste much better..
Thanks for tip Swee San, I shall try that for burger quest #2. 🙂 I had thought of caramelized onions but was too lazy to do it. 😛
when your quest has its results, and your bun is out can we have burger feast ? hahaha
I would never say ‘no’ to a burger feast or burger gathering! Haha! But when bun is out, don’t know how many more quest i can do till then…but will do my best! Anything for perfect burgers.