While at
Aeon supermarket to restock my butter, I finally found jalapenos I've been wanting to get so that I can cook
minced beef omelette ever since seeing
PH The Meat Lover cooking (and enjoying) the same. By the way, did you know that jalapenos with tiny white lines (or
stretch marks like the one on the left) are spicier than those with a smooth surface? Well, they supposedly are when I googled (and I really did taste some that are hotter than the rest), so now you know which ones to choose (if you get to choose) if you want spicier ones.
Once I got the jalapenos, I had to get some minced beef and spotted this pack of
chilled minced beef which were the only ones available on the shelf. Back home I portioned the 500g of beef mince into two...one half of it I portioned into 3 portions (for freezing) to make minced beef omelette (or whatever I could think of for the beef mince). The other half I portioned into two...with the
ambitious plan of making beef burger (for the first time at home!), so that means my beef patty was about a 125g patty (that might sound a bit small to
some but since I was using smaller than regular buns, it was ok).
I googled on how best to prep the meat patty and most would have two ingredients in common...breadcrumbs and egg to bind the meat together. Most says to use Panko breadcrumbs (you can also blitz your own breadcrumbs) or crushed crackers (that's just great as I so happen to have some salted crackers with me).
I marinated the minced beef with salt, freshly cracked black pepper and used my Montreal chicken seasoning (coz that's the only all-purpose seasoning I keep in my pantry). You can use whatever seasoning you like, even just salt and black pepper will do. I pounded up 3 pcs of salted crackers into a fine crumb and added that to the mince along with some egg (not the whole egg, just eyeball it as long as it's not too wet for you to form into a patty). I also dusted it with a bit of cornflour just in case it sticks to my non-stick pan (which has lost its non-stick ability!).
Every burger needs some sweet,
caramelised onions...so I started with that but I didn't cook it long enough (that would have taken an hour at least!) until it turned jammy and sweet. I just sweated them in olive oil on low heat until well soften and caramelised. Using low heat is best (though it would take a longer time to cook) as onions can easily burn if you don't watch it.
I also wanted an
oozy egg with my burger. Cooking an egg with its egg yolk still runny is one of the hardest thing to do...more so when I don't have an egg pan (as the egg white will run all over the surface area of a large pan) + my pan is also no longer non-stick. So, I used and egg ring...but forgot to oil the ring, so the edges got stuck a bit.
Next, I placed my
burger patty on my non-stick pan with olive oil on medium heat. I cooked my patty for 4 mins on each side for a total of 8 mins as I wasn't planning for a pink centre not knowing the quality of the chilled beef I got from
Aeon (if you want it medium rare, you can cook it for a shorter time).
I relied on two tips I found on the internet...1) flip it only once (to get a great sear on your patty and leave it undisturbed until you're ready to flip) and 2) don't press down on your patty (with your spatula as that'll squeeze all the precious fats and juices out). Wow, look at the great sear I got (on my first cook)...
woohoo! When I flipped the burger, I also dropped some sliced
jalapenos to sear and soften for a while. You can also add some butter towards the end and baste your patty with it for more lusciousness...but I didn't.
I chose
wholemeal raisin buns (for a healthier option) and toasted one with a bit of butter. Time to assemble my burger! First goes the burger patty on top of the bun. Followed by the caramelised onions and slightly spicy jalapenos (this time I dug out the seeds first to reduce the spiciness...lol)! Then the fried (hopefully) oozy egg goes on top and we close the bun....and my first homemade beef burger is ready to be devoured.
Wah, look at the layers in my burger (
macam professional...
kekeke)...bun, patty, onions, jalapenos & egg (only melted cheese and maybe a sauce is missing). Well, you could also add on some slices of cucumber, tomato, grilled pineapple or some lettuce for a professionally executed burger...but this one is good enough for me! ;)
Of course, a burger is best served with fries...but since I didn't have any store-bought frozen fries in my freezer, I roasted some potato chunks (which I actually prefer) for a fluffier/healthier side dish.
This burger will not have a pink centre coz I deliberately cooked it for longer just to be safe not knowing the freshness of the beef. It's still very much tender but, of course, will lose a bit of juiciness in the meat but still tasted good to me (if you're not weary, you can certainly cook it to medium rare for your preferred doneness). The egg was just a little oozy. >.<
After being successful at cooking my first burger at home, I was more ambitious for round 2 (on another day) and decided to make smashed burger (like the ones I saw on TV...
haha). So, I made two smaller patties with my other 125g portion of beef and press it down with a potato mash (if you have one or use a metal plate will do). This time I finished it with a bit of butter at the end.
This is my first housemade
smashed burger! I think I need to smash it thinner (it looked more like I'm having a double burger)! This time I was too lazy to make caramelised onions and oozy egg, so it was just a layer of omelette, patty and jalapenos.
I enjoyed this version too. It has more of a crisp texture on the outside because of the surface searing. I think if it was thinner, it'd be even more tasty. I'm loving my homemade beef burger (or smashed burger) which is not loaded with sauces...and cheese (of course, those who like those, feel free to add on). This cook has given me confidence to make my own burgers from now on at home...and I'll probably be making them again soon.
It's not that difficult to do actually but may take a bit more work...but the end result of a homemade burger (with a proper beef patty is so much better, not to mention healthier, than those commercialised Ramly or frozen beef burgers)! ^o^ Hope my homemade burger has inspired (or tempted) you to make yours too! ^_~
