Darina Allen: What’s the secret of a delectable meat burger?

Darina Allen: "The secret of delicious succulent burgers is the proportion of juicy fat to lean, aim for at least 20% better still 25%."

Even though pizzas and burgers vie for top spot on our menus, they are often referred to disparagingly because of the quality. Nonetheless, we all know they can be super
nutritious and delicious, when homemade with really flavourful ingredients. 

Today, I’ll concentrate on burgers, two yummy meat burgers and one irresistible fish burger. 

So what’s the secret of a delectable meat burger? Well, it all starts with the quality and freshness of the meat. Buy a piece of well hung chuck or chump or flank from your local butcher, smile sweetly and ask for it to be minced there and then.

The secret of delicious succulent burgers is the proportion of juicy fat to lean, aim for at least 20% better still 25% – this proportion will ensure that the burgers remain moist in cooking without being greasy or crumbling apart.

A high percentage of lean meat results in dry, dull burgers, despite popular perception and our well-orchestrated fear of fat. Myrtle Allen always liked to add a little finely chopped sweated onion for extra sweetness but one can just mince top quality meat from a well reared animal, and season judiciously, this too
results in an irresistible burger. Add various peppers, chilli, smoked paprika, pul biber, Aleppo pepper for extra excitement! But the accompaniments are also key to the finished dish.

It can of course be naked or bunless but let’s face it, most burger buns are gross and can ruin an otherwise delicious burger, we make an easy recipe given to me years ago by one of my students, Evie Lanitis. I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes and thinking where does she think I’d get the time to make burger buns? 

Well, how about making time to make a batch of your own, it can be quite therapeutic at a weekend and if you have kids they love to watch and help with shaping the buns. One batch will make 24-30 buns, depending on size, they freeze perfectly and defrost quickly, particularly if they have been split horizontally before freezing.

Mix and season the mince but before you shape the burger, fry off a little morsel on a pan, taste and correct the seasoning. Burgers have come a long way since they were invented, we’re not sure by whom.

Smash burgers with crisp, lacy, deeply golden brown edges are all the rage, and there are numerous variations on the original. The smashing maximises the Maillard reaction enhancing the rich and complex flavours that define an exceptional burger.

Try this pork burger too, once again, the fat content is crucially important to the succulence. No point in even bothering if you can’t source pork from a well-reared pig. It will cost more, but the end result will hopefully be memorable rather than dull and boring. 

I like to serve pork burgers with a piquant chimichurri sauce, but even a Bramley apple sauce will cut the richness deliciously, a few frozen damsons that I found in my freezer would be good too, but even the original will do the job deliciously.

And now, how about a fish burger with minted peas and tartare sauce? Once again, the fish must be super fresh. You can’t imagine how delicious it will be. Try this version from Julius Roberts book whose recipes I featured in a recent column, and you seemed to love them. Let me know how you enjoy these.

Classic beef burger

recipe by:Darina Allen

The secret of really good beef burgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn't need to be an expensive cut, but it is essential to use freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25%. One

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 15g butter or extra virgin olive oil

• 75g onion, finely chopped (optional)

• 450g freshly minced beef - flank, chump or shin would be perfect

• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

• 1/2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• olive oil

• To Serve (optional)

• burger or brioche buns

• lettuce

• sliced ripe tomatoes

• sliced red onion

• crispy bacon

• avocado slices or a dollop of Guacamole (see recipe)

• fried onions

• roast or piquillo peppers

• kimchi, pickled slaw or pickles

• homemade spicy mayo or spicy tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice

•  

Method

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, toss in the onions, if using, cover and sweat over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured.

2. Set aside to get cold.

3. Meanwhile, mix the beef mince with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then add the cooled onions and mix well. Fry off a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

4. With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, or more depending on the size you require. Chill until needed.

5. Cook to your taste in a little oil in a medium-hot frying or griddle pan, turning once.

6. For rare, cook for 2 minutes each side, for medium 3 minutes and for well-done 4 minutes. If you’re cooking the burgers in batches, make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches.

7. Burgers can plump up in the centre while being cooked; to avoid this, make an indentation in the centre of each raw burger with your thumb. Serve with any of the serving suggestions listed in the recipe.

Rory O’Connell’s Grilled Pork Burger with Apple Sauce

recipe by:Darina Allen

Thank you, Rory, for sharing this recipe. These burgers are sweet and delicious. Belly or shoulder of pork is best here as you are generally guaranteed a decent amount of fat from those two cuts, and fat is essential for a good burger. If your meat is too

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 700g minced streaky or shoulder of pork

• 2 cloves of garlic crushed

• 1-2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

• 2 tsp of fennel seeds, roasted and ground

• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

• 40g pistachio nuts, shells removed and coarsely chopped

• Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Bramley Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce:

• 450g Bramley apples

• 4 plums or damsons

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 2 tbsp water

Method

1. Mix the ingredients together. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture to check seasoning. Adjust as necessary.

2. Form the mixture into burgers, either 4 large or 8 small, and chill until ready to cook.

3. Heat a heavy grill pan until quite hot.

4. Grease the burgers lightly with olive oil and place on the hot grill to cook.

5. Allow to become golden brown on one side before turning.

6. Control the heat carefully and cook the burgers, turning occasionally until fully cooked through.

7. This takes about 15 minutes, and the burgers will feel firm to the touch.

8. Serve the burgers on hot plates with Bramley Apple and Plum Sauce and a vegetable of choice.

9. Bramley Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce:

10. Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter in half. Place in a small saucepan with the sugar and water.

11. Quarter the plums and remove the stones and add to the apples.

12. Cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid and cook on a very low heat. The apples and plums will collapse to a frothy fluff.

13. Allow to cool a little and then if you wish, lift the skins off the pieces of plum – it is not essential to do this. Stir well to mix the apples and the plums and taste and if necessary, add another pinch of sugar.

Crispy Fish Baps with Minted Peas and Tartare Sauce

recipe by:Darina Allen

*Recipe adapted from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, published by Ebury Press. Dover or lemon sole work best, but if using a slightly thicker fish, turn the frying heat to 170°C and let the breadcrumbs brown a little more slowly, by which point the fish

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g frozen peas

• 40g butter

• 1 unwaxed lemon

• a bunch of fresh mint leaves, picked and finely chopped

• 150g plain flour

• 2 eggs

• 150g panko breadcrumbs

• 4 fillets of white fish

• enough sunflower for shallow frying

• 4 baps

• Tartare Sauce:

• 250g natural yoghurt or homemade mayo or use half and half

• 80g cornichons, coarsely chopped

• 50g capers, coarsely chopped

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• a bunch of fresh dill (20g) finely chopped (tarragon, chervil may also be used)

Method

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and pop in the peas and cook for 4 minutes approx., then drain.

2. Return the peas to the pan and add the butter. Remove from the heat, crush the peas with a potato masher, grate in the zest of the lemon and stir in the mint. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add lemon juice before serving.

3. Next make the tartare sauce.

4. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, taste adding more cornichons, lemon or herbs or yoghurt to mellow it out – be careful that it’s not overly acidic.

5. Take three plates or shallow bowls for the flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and whisk the eggs together.

6. Take one piece of fish, coat each fillet with flour, shaking off any excess, transfer it to the egg, turn to coat each side. Allow any excess to drip off, then transfer to the panko and turn a few times until well-coated. Transfer to a parchment lined tray and repeat with the remaining fillets.

7. Pour some sunflower oil into a wide high-sided frying pan and place on a medium heat (it should come 7.5cm up the side of the frying pan approx.). The frying temperature should be between 170-180°C, use a thermometer if you have one or test with a little pinch of panko which should sizzle as soon as it hits the hot oil and turn golden.

8. Gently place the fillets in the oil – best to cook in batches so as to not overload the frying pan which will reduce the internal cooking temperature. Fry until the first side is golden, then gently flip to cook the other side (a couple of minutes).

9. If using a thicker piece of fish, cook at a lower temperature initially, then turn up to brown the panko towards the end. Remove from the oil, transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt and a grind of freshly ground black pepper.

10. As the fish is frying, split the baps and lightly toast or grill.

11. Spoon a generous amount of tartare sauce on the base of each bap, top with the crispy fish, spoon over the peas and finish with another layer of tartare and the top of the bag. Eat immediately. 

Season Journal

List of organic and free-range pork and beef producers

Woodside Farm, East Cork,  woodsidefarm.ie

Newbard Farm, Lismore, Co. Waterford,  newbardfarm.com

Crawford’s Farm, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary,  crawfordsfarm.ie

Wicklow Organic (Kilmacoo Hill Farm) wickloworganic.com

Lúnasa Farm, Clarecastle, Co. Clare (pork & beef) lunasafarm.ie

Rare Ruminaire, Ballymote, Co. Sligo (beef) - rareruminare.com

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