Tag-Archive for ◊ beef ◊

10 Jul 2010 My Basic Hamburger Recipe
Author:  |  Category: Grilling, Main Dish, Red Meat, Sandwiches  | Tags: , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

not my picture, but it's a great one, and mine look just like that. I hope "they" don't mind that I borrowed it.

Many people have their own much loved hamburger recipe. I got started late. I don’t have an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G recipe, but I have three good and different ones. This one is my basic hamburger recipe. (It’s from “America’s Test Kitchen”.) It’s basic. There are no surprises. Everyone likes it. If I ever get some homegrown beef, and learn to grind my own meat blend, this might be an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G burger. Right now, it’s a GOOD burger which can easily be made GREAT, and here’s how! 1. Pay attention to the bun. Make your own…, or go out of your way to find a good one. 2. Make the patty FIT the bun. Cook the patty well. No dried out burgers please. No raw in the middle burgers, either, thank you. 3. Have “to die for” condiments-grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, great cheese, apple smoked bacon, homegrown tomatoes, crisp lettuce, sliced avocado, ketchup, mayo, mustard, and pickle relish. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Basic Hamburgers

1 slice of good bread
2 T. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 T. A-1 steak sauce
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

Cut the crust of the slice of bread then finely dice. Put in the bottom of a large bowl and add milk. Mash bread into milk until homogenous. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce. Break up beef and add to bread mixture. Using a fork, lightly mix ingredients together. Divide meat into 4 or 6 portions and flatten to 3/4 – 1 inch thick. (I like my patties to be between 4 1/2 and 5 oz.). Place patties on hot grill (or in hot frying pan). Grill for 2-4 minutes on first side, and 3-4 minutes on second side.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today,

05 Feb 2010 Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Author:  |  Category: Crockpot, Main Dish, Red Meat, Sandwiches  | Tags: , ,  | Leave a Comment

Here’s one more recipe suggestion, tried and true and oh so easy, for a Super Bowl party. On your way home tonight (game day minus two) pick up a 3-4 lb. beef roast, any kind–bottom round or rump are fine–just get whatever is on sale. Tonight, put the roast in a crockpot with 1/2 cup of water (and nothing else) then mix up the sauce and refrigerate. Tomorrow morning (game day minus one), shred the beef, mix with the sauce, and refrigerate the whole thing overnight to blend the flavors. Game Day, reheat meat and sauce in crockpot for 3-4 hours. Put the crockpot on the coffee table with some tongs, hamburger buns (or the smaller dinner rolls) and desired toppings (if any) of pickles, raw or sauteed onions, sliced tomatoes, and mayonnaise (I like mine “straight up”, no garnishes!). Fans can make their own BBQ Beef Sandwiches whenever they feel the urge.

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

For Beef
3-4 lb. beef roast, any kind, bottom round or rump work well (Last time, because it was on sale,  I used a tri-tip roast)
1/2 cup water (I suspect beer can be substituted, but I haven’t tested this)

For Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
2 T. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 medium onion, finely chopped, and sauteed
1/2 cup water

Place the roast in a crockpot with 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for approx. 10 hours. In another bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Go to bed. When you get up, remove the meat from the crockpot and shred with a fork, discard any chunks of fat. Combine shredded beef with the sauce. Stir well. Refrigerate meat/sauce mixture, covered, for 24 hours or so. Return shredded meat to crockpot and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Serve on rolls* with sliced pickles, sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise (if desired). Makes approx 16 sandwiches.

*I found mini-hamburger buns at Trader Joe’s.  $1.20 for a package of 8…, but at that price, you can buy regular hamburger buns and use a circle cutter to cut them down to the size you want! (The buns were plain, and a bit dry and firm, not nearly special enough to make them worth an extra trip to TJ’s, but not bad enough to avoid either!)

Thanks for visiting!

02 Feb 2010 Meatballs-on-Toast
Author:  |  Category: Appetizers, Red Meat  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 2 Comments

Just what you need for the Super Bowl party at the neighbors’ house…, a yummy, quick and easy appetizer to take with you. You’ll need a pound of ground beef, a bit of onion (any kind), soy sauce, a bit of brown sugar a sliced baguette, and nothing else! These are so easy to make that your kids could prepare them while you’re in the shower. Meat eaters and teenage boys will fall over themselves getting to the platter. This recipe is from “The 150 Best American Recipes“.

Meatballs on Toast

1 sliced baguette (Le Boulanger has the best)
1 lb ground chuck (nothing leaner than 85/15, or this recipe won’t work)
1/4 cup regular soy sauce* (don’t use low sodium)
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
4 green onions, minced (or similar quantity of sauteed onion or shallot)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix meat, soy sauce, brown sugar and onions together with your hands until the mixture resembles a fine paste. Pinch a piece of the meat mixture and press smoothly onto a baguette slice, smoothing to all edges. Continue making flat meatballs until all the meat mixture has been used up–you’ll be able to make about 3 dozen. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes at 450. Serve hot.

Thanks for stopping by the kitchen!

Polly

*My friend used a couple dashes of Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce in place of the soy sauce. I am going to try that next time.

Polly’s Points This is great to have on hand for after school snacks. Keep the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator. Have the bread sliced and in another covered container. The kids can mix up a tray of these meatballs-on-toast for themselves when the get home. I always got an “Awwwww, Mommmmm!” from my son when I did this. (His highest words of thanks and appreciation!)

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