This morning I woke up around 02:00 and couldn't get beef burgers out of my mind!
I grabbed a packet out of the freezer and popped it into the oven set on defrost and went back to bed.
Waking in the morning, I discovered that I'd actually grabbed a packet of half and half: half beef and half pork; something I did ages ago when I made some pork and beef meatballs, putting the unused portions of meat back together and freezing.
So, I had half a pound of beef and half a pound of pork. I could make a couple of quarter pounders of both types, or ...
I decided to make a couple of beef quarter pounders and then pork mince into a hamburger sauce. Not the sauce to put on a hamburger, but a sauce made from hamburger. A ragu.
To work ...
Finely chop a small onion, or half a regular onion, softening it in your favourite paleo fat. I used goose fat. Add some garlic, chilli and then the pork mince. Some tomato puree works nicely, chicken stock and black pepper. Water, arrowroot and set to simmer.
The result should be that the meat is cooked, liquid reduced and thickened, giving a good, salty meat sauce. This will take about a quarter of an hour.
Meanwhile ...
100% beef burgers. Simply divide into quarters of a pound, gently push together into a ball and then flatten. Try not to disturb the meat fibres and don't maul it! Be gentle.
Cook the burgers through. I used a cast iron griddle pan and like my burgers just cooked, so about four minutes each side, with a piece of butter laid on the top once turned. The butter melts in and makes the burger double gorgeous!
Serve out ...
I served out over some shredded white cabbage and chilli, hamburger sauce over and the burger on top. Garnish with some herbs - parsley, here.
Melted cheese over the burger would be good, as would a boiled egg alongside ... but I was fixated on the burger, so everything else was an afterthought.
