Best Hipster Burger

Nothing is worse when you host a BBQ and you spend all that money on meat, veggies, buns, chips, salsa, drinks, fruit (the list goes on and on) and the thing that everyone looks forward to, the meat, is a disappointment! BBQs can be expensive and time consuming, and it hurts your soul when you put in all that effort and the burger is meh. I have tried it all, with many successes and failures, and I have finally come up with the perfect burger recipe. Yes you heard that right, the best burger!

It started with my desire to make the burger “different.” Hey I’m a Seattleite, I have to let the hipster out at some point.  First add the minced shallots, cilantro, jalapeno (wear gloves, you don’t want your fingertips burning throughout the BBQ), and seasonings in a large bowl and stir together. I like to use garlic powder because the risk of a larger chunk of garlic getting burnt on the grill and leaving your all your burgers with a bitter taste, isn’t worth it. Also think of all that time you saved not chopping garlic!

Then add the ground beef and mix together with your hands. Add one egg to the mixture to insure the patty will stay together on the grill. Mold the mixture into ¼ to ½ inch patties, keeping in mind the size of your buns. You don’t want a small patty on a huge burger bun; I have never heard anyone say “oh that last bite of all bread and ketchup was delicious.”

I like to put the patties on a baking sheet, cover with press and seal, and put in the fridge for 8 hours, or even overnight. I love to make this the night before a BBQ, then all I have to do is pull the patties out of the fridge and throw on the grill. There are several steps to great BBQ, so anything you can do ahead of time is a great idea!

Prepare your grill to medium-high heat, and cook to personal preference. I prefer medium, which is about 4 minutes on each side.

Ingredients:

4.5 pounds of ground beef – makes about 12 patties (to calculate how much meat you will need, click here)

2 shallots

3 tbsp. cilantro

2 jalapeno chili – seeded and minced

2 ½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

Add the minced shallots, cilantro, jalapeno, and seasonings in a large bowl and stir together. Then add the ground beef and mix together with your hands. Add one egg to the mixture to insure the patty will stay together on the grill. Mold the mixture into ¼ to ½ inch patties, keeping in mind the size of your buns. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover with press and seal, and put in the fridge up to 8 hours or overnight.

Prepare your grill to medium-high heat, and cook to personal preference. I prefer medium, which is about 4 minutes on each side.