Burgers w/o a Grill? or Mess?!
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #124 [vol6, 1.3]
best, easiest pizza dough at the end
Yes my preference is a burger on the grill.
Sometimes life is hard and the grill isn’t available: snow, below freezing temps, perhaps little people in your care keep you from a grill. Maybe you don’t have access to a grill.
But you still want a burger.
Indoor Burgers without the Mess
Have you ever tried baking burgers in a pan?
Granted, no grill marks so it’s not beautiful.
If doctored rightly you can achieve deliciousness without the mess. Dare I say these will be on repeat because they’re so easy and crowd pleasing?
Method
Baking beef is a great option for lower fat burger that would otherwise fall apart on a grill.
Bake 1-2lb at 350* in 9x13 pan in the oven then cut into square patties. Make for a crowd with more beef in a bigger pan.
This week I baked 2lbs at 400* because I wanted to simultaneously roast potatoes. Other times I’ve made a flatter patty with only 1lb. A single pound of beef means zero leftovers and I definitely want leftovers.
Save money: Have you considered that the highest quality local grass finished beef is more economical (at $7-8/lb) than most filler-filled lunch meat (at $12-14) per pound?!
The key for great tasting burgers is to season well the ground beef before baking.
Seasoning
Rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon salt per pound. Please salt your food; it tenderizes and enhances the natural flavor.
Other seasonings I use in burger:
onion (about 1t per pound flakes, fresh or powder)
garlic (smashed fresh or 1/2t powder)
smoked paprika, 1/2t
mushrooms (fresh or dried) - This makes incredible flavor enhancement and umami. I make mushroom powder from dried Costco mushrooms simply blitzed in blender. Trader Joes used to have a mushroom salt blend but I’m not a frequent shopper to know if they currently carry it.
bacon bougie burger - add strips of bacon across the top to crisp as burger bakes
There are nights when the struggle bus is in the driveway. I feel victorious to have a protein on the table and we eat bare bones: beef, condiment, bread or lettuce as bun.
EXTRAS
Other nights I have margin throughout the day or extras in the fridge.
I might
saute mushrooms
caramelize onions
sear peppers
hit the jackpot with the perfect avocado
add cheese when serving - try a salty feta or blue cheese!
Pictures?
The patty does shrink and there is liquid and fat remaining. I don’t have pictures of these burgers in a pan because it’s not very pretty. And I’m not a food photographer. My dog never complains when I let her lick what remains.
Bunz Baby
I’ve searched the world over for the perfect hamburger bun. Most homemade ones are too dense. These are the buns you want.
The dough is Ali Stafford’s Mom’s Peasant Bread that you can also bake in a bowl. I discovered the method in her book Bread Toast Crumbs, a book I thought that I could live without…and was wrong. The dough is very sticky. Don’t be tempted to overwork it when shaping into the bun.
They bake up light and airy yet don’t disintegrate under the weight of burger juices.
These buns are best the day of baking, I think because there isn’t any fat in them. That said, we ate them toasted on cast iron with butter the next morning as ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches. Bomb, baby. Bomb.
Church Suppers
Wednesday night suppers have started back. On Tuesdays we prep and it’s always a different group in the kitchen, which simultaneously has challenges and joys!
I love teaching in every way. I love when pre-teen and teen girls join us. I love when ladies return and know where their groove is…I love that Lisa loves to debone 4 chickens.
Tacos were on the menu this week (with these refried beans). We’re kinda in a groove so I decided to branch out and also practice something different. We made pizza. {see also I think there were a record number of people in the kitchen and later questioned my sanity for this decision!}
The scale of an industrial kitchen is so very different than a home kitchen. The pan pictured below is equivalent of FOUR 9x13 pans. The oven runs so hot. Actually I’m convinced that our church’s oven needs recalibration.
We needed this practice before making for a group. The pizza was a smash hit; everyone loved it. We learned what tweaks we needed to make. Notably, I grossly underestimated the amount of cheese and sauce!
Pizza for a crowd is a winner on so many levels. For church, I love the economics of homemade pizza. I’m not sure I’m ready to make it for 100+ but definitely could make for larger groups than I would feed from my home kitchen.
The Easiest and Best Dough
Trust me. This is the dough you want to try with pictures and videos to hold your hand. I’ve made various pizza recipes over the years and been frustrated by fighting with dough. If you want to make pizza and enjoy the process, just buy a copy of Pizza Night and stop looking for better methods or recipes. You’re welcome.
Life is hard; burgers and pizza dough don’t have to be.
Julie
Learn more cooking skills and Joyfully Disrupt Chronic Disease with Food by attending the School of Lunch Training Academy like I did last summer. The next session is February 16-21. Highly recommended! Or plan for this summer.
If you’re new, maybe check out other articles: my top 5 tips for wellness and other real food tips, making brioche bread for the masses, recipes for high schoolers and a weird (liver) drink, and 26 meal ideas for my college son. Have you tried this jar for dinner?
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