I just love a great burger! I’m working on a skillet burger recipe, since I don’t have a grill in Napa (yet). I did two things to ensure juiciness with this burger: 1. the recipe includes heavy cream which, apparently, tenderizes the ground beef, and 2. added chopped pancetta I happened to have in the fridge. I can confirm that this process will get you a super juicy burger even when it’s well done like I did this one!
Ingredients (makes 4 burgers):
1 lb. ground beef (I prefer 80% lean to keep the beef juice)
4 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt (more or less to your taste)
fresh ground pepper, to your taste
cheese (your flavor of choice, I used a white cheddar, horseradish - delish!)
other toppings: your choice, of course. I used sliced fresh red onion, ripe sliced avocado, sliced tomato, crispy iceberg lettuce and Mt. Olive kosher dill pickles.
burger buns, I used a soft, seeded bun.
Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients, except toppings, in a bowl. I use my hands and gently mix. Don’t overdo it, you don’t want the meat to toughen.
Shape into patties - this will make about 4, or 3 if you like them on the thicker side.
Add your patties to a pre-heated medium-high skillet with just a little bit of oil. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook another 3 or so minutes on the other side, depending on how you like your burgers. (Medium-Rare 130-135f, Medium 140-145f, Medium-Well 150-155f). If you’re adding cheese, put that on the burger when you have 1-2 minutes left in cooking time.
Be sure to let the burgers rest 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Then… load them up with your toppings and feast!
