Better Than Usual Burgers

On Sunday nights, my family and I usually enjoy a "nicer than usual" dinner.  It's the night we have a meal that takes a while to prepare or one that is "fancier" than our worknight meals. Sunday night's typical meal might be, for example, an eye of the round, roasted chicken, lasagna, or some baked fish.  But not tonight... I craved a burger.  Not a turkey burger or a veggie burger.  A good old beef burger.  And it did not disappoint. 

We went to our favorite meat market this afternoon, and I bought some 85% ground beef.  For sides, I must say I did a good job using up what I had in the refrigerator.  I made some cole slaw, a spinach salad, a small tomato/mozarella salad, and some roasted broccoli.  I also sauteed a large shallot with some balsamic vinegar for my burger.  Can you say veggie overload?

Here's a photo of my plate.  I opted to go without the bun in an attempt to decrease my carbs.  My burger has a slice of tomato and the shallots on it which was a nice combination.  The burger was melt in your mouth good. 

I decided to add some flavor and moisture to the meat before I formed the patties.  Here's what I did:

TASTY GRILLED BURGERS
1 1/2 pounds 85% lean hamburger
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T milk
1 t Montreal-type Steak Seasoning (I used Weber brand)

Preheat gas grill to high.  Mix all ingredients together until just combined.  Form into six equal sized patties.  Don't forget -- flatten the middles of the burgers so they cook evenly.  Cook about 7 minutes altogether.  My instant read thermometer read 145 degrees, but the burgers were very juicy.

BBQ Beef Brisket

Last night I tried out a recipe from Allrecipes.com in preparation for our upcoming big bash on the 4th. My goal is to make something that I can prepare the day before, and this dish fits the bill.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First, I did not take the time to let it marinate overnight. It didn't seem to make a difference. I also cut down on the smoke flavoring in the sauce. It was suggested to double the sauce, so I did. There was more than enough! It was tangy and sweet and yummy.

After slicing the meet (after only 4 1/2 hours in the oven, my family was hungry), I put some slices back in the oven with the sauce. The kids ate their meat plain (so tender), and DB and I put our sauce on top. Very good! The meat was so tender. I highly recommend this recipe!

BBQ Beef Brisket

from Allrecipes.com

4 pounds lean beef brisket
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pour liquid smoke over brisket. Rub with onion salt and garlic salt. Roll brisket in foil and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place brisket in a large roasting pan. Cover and bake for 5 to 6 hours. Remove from oven, cool, and then slice. Put slices back into pan.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, ketchup, butter, water, celery salt, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir, and cook until boiling.

4. Pour sauce over meat slices in pan. Cover and bake for 1 more hour.