Homemade Beef Burger

Before I started cooking more adventurously, I would dine at restaurants or cafes that offer good quality burgers whenever I crave for beef burgers. Have tried those pre-made/pre-seasoned beef patties sold at supermarkets, sorry but somehow they sucked! Either the seasonings weren't to my liking (too overwhelming on the palate) or the mince was so compact that the whole patty turned out very hard after cooking.

These days I prefer making my own beef patty and I realise it isn't difficult at all. All you need is some good quality mince beef and half the job is done!

Earlier this week, I received a package from The Meat Club Singapore and they have kindly offered some premium lean mince, assorted sausages as well as lamb chops for me to try!

These premium quality produce are directly imported from Australia and they arrive here fresh and chilled and not frozen. Apparently when you freeze meat, the cellular structure of the protein is compromised, causing the meat to "bleed" when cooked and thus resulting in less tender and juicy texture. The meat produce from The Meat Club are specially vacuum packed which helps seal the freshness and quality.

The Meat Club actually has an interesting subscription service where if you opt for an Auto-Pilot service, your selection of meat will be delivered in line with their import cycle (every 28 days) ensuring that you get the freshest batch of produce with a longer shelf life monthly. That said, they do offer one-off, just in time delivery for meat as well. Visit their website to find out more!

The first produce I'm trying is the premium lean mince which comes in a 500g pack.

I usually like to create mini burgers as they are cuter and easier to eat, but this time decided to go for a full-size burger, just like those gourmet ones sold at restaurants and cafes =D

I even made my own burger buns to match the size of the beef patty, so these are truly homemade beef burger!

Basically I seasoned the mince with some grated garlic, onion, shredded cheese, tonkatsu sauce (which is the Japanese version of Worcestershire sauce), ketchup, sea salt, mixed herbs and egg.

After mixing the seasonings into the mince, they are divided into 4 patties, about 160g each. Shape into rounds, flatten with a dent in the middle and chill in the fridge before cooking.

Besides the usual lettuce, tomato and cheese slice, I also added a topping of sauteed onion and portobello mushroom in teriyaki sauce. Initially was even thinking of topping with a sunny side-up with runny yolk, but I figured it's going to be overkill for my family.

Homemade Beef Burger
(makes 4 full-size burgers)

Beef Patty

• 500g lean mince
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 pc onion, grated
• 50g shredded cheese
• 1 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 egg

1. Mix all the seasonings into the lean mince until just combined.
2. Divide the mince into 4 portions, each about 160g. Roll into balls, flatten into patties and press a dent into the centre of each patty using the thumb. *this prevents the patty from forming a dome and shrinking when cooking.
3. Cover and chill the patties until ready to use.

Sauteed onion and portobello mushroom in teriyaki sauce

• 1/2pc onion, cut into thin rings
• 1pc large portobello mushroom, sliced
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp cooking sake
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp water

1. In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add onion and sauté till slightly softened.
2. Add sliced mushroom and sauté till softened.
3. Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients except corn starch and water, and add the sauce to the onion and mushroom.
4. Stir-fry sauce with onion and mushroom till fully cooked.
5. Mix corn starch and water and add the mixture into the frying pan.
6. Stir till sauce thickens slightly. Dish and set aside.

Homemade Burger Bun

The burger buns are made using water roux method. Please refer to recipe at this link.

Dough total weight about 320g, divide dough into 4 portions, each about 80g.

Assemble

• 4 beef patties
• 4 burger buns
• 4 leaves lettuce
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 slices cheese
• Sauteed onion and mushroom
• Mayonnaise (optional)

1. In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the beef patties and cook for 4-5 mins on one side.
2. Flip to the other side and cook for another 1 min. 
3. Add 1 slice of cheese to each beef patty, cover and cook for another 30secs.
4. Remove beef patties from pan onto a plate and let them rest.
5. Slice the burger buns into halves, butter on both sides and toast till slightly browned.
6. Squeeze 1-2 tsp of mayo on the bottom half of the bun, add a piece of lettuce, follow by tomato, beef patty and lastly onion and mushroom. Close with top half of the bun. Use a bamboo skewer to hold the burger in place if necessary. Repeat for the remaining burgers.
7. Best serve warm.

So do my burgers look tantalising and can they passed off as those gourmet ones sold at restaurants and cafes?

They sure are very satisfying and yummy! Well, I enjoyed my burger very much, but it's kind of too big for me, felt really bloated after eating the full burger. Will probably make smaller size burgers next time :p

Stay tuned as I try the other products from The Meat Club!