Good ol’ fashioned Hamburgers

This past Thursday DH and I came home from work and were just tired and needed some old fashioned comfort food.  And then I realized everything in the house I could prepare was frozen like a block of ice.  Sigh.  Defrost in microwave? You half cook the product.  So, I’ve learned I can defrost things in cold water and it works well but isn’t exactly swift.  Luckily, I had about 45 minutes defrost time and used this method.

You simply take the meat, chicken or fish, put in a tightly closed plastic bag or ziploc and submerge in cold water (so it won’t get bacteria laden) and change the water every half hour or so.  I did this with half a kilo (1.1 pounds) of chopped meat and putting on my trusty dusty latex gloves, I pulled off the defrosted bits into a stainless bowl and plunked the remainder back into the cold bath to continue defrosting till the whole lot was done. Then you get to the prep part.  

I have been making hamburgers for ages but I’ve found myself dissatisfied by the broiling method (in the oven) since only too often the outer part browns nicely and the inner part is much pinker than I care for.  With steak I enjoy medium, a light pink in the middle but in hamburgers I want them fully cooked and yet still moist.  So, I decided to try an old fashioned method which I remember from my childhood, of cooking them in a skillet, or pan and seeing if the consistency was as pleasing as I recalled it being. 

I know that you get more authentic flavor with fresh minced onion, but I’ve sneaked by with rehydrating minced onion whether I’m under time pressure or simply have run out of fresh onions (woe is me!) or just don’t feel like chopping! Go me!  Whatever the case, I’m a fan when it comes to this recipe, it is a fine substitute but if you don’t mind the mincing, go for it!  Then open your fridge or pantry and see what prepared barbecue sauce you have on hand, and an egg and breadcrumbs.  You don’t need panko for this, regular crumbs will do.  I also threw in some soy sauce to deepen the flavor and that’s all folks!

Imagine my delight when I sprayed the pan with oil spray, turned the heat to medium low and after cooking with the lid on (though slightly ajar) 6 minutes on each side that the hamburgers came out moist and succulent and eminently worthy of my childhood memories with almost no shrinkage. Ain’t it great when that happens?  

Good Ol’ Fashioned Hamburgers

1 egg

2 tablespoons prepared barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh onion OR 1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1/3-1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/2 a kilo (1.1 pounds) of good chopped meat (a little fat is good for a tasty burger)

Take a mixing bowl (I like stainless for this) and put in the egg, bbq sauce, soy sauce and then sprinkle the dehydrated onion over this and mix together.  (Or add chopped fresh onion).  Let sit a minute or so then add breadcrumbs and chopped meat and I put on my latex gloves and squish it all up till well blended.  Form nice, fat patties – I get about 6-7 nice sized burgers out of this mixture.

Take a skillet and spray with some oil spray to just coat the pan.  Then turn the heat on under it and lower to medium low heat.  Allow the pan to heat up.  Place the patties in the pan (you should hear the sizzle), with enough space to enable you to flip the burgers.  Cover the pan but tilt the lid to let steam escape.  Cook for 6 minutes on one side and flip, (should be nicely browned) and cook for an additional 6 minutes on the other side.  You should have a perfectly cooked burger with no pink in the middle yet still moist and delish.

Um yum!! We chose to eat them with some salad fixings and no bun but hey! you can surely bun them with pickles, mayo, a slice of tomato, maybe some lettuce and bbq sauce and/or ketchup.  A slice of nostalgia and worth every bite.