May is National Hamburger Month! And, depending on which story you believe, this tasty meaty meal has been around since the late 1800s (invented in Texas in 1880) or since 1900 when a Connecticut blacksmith created the hamburger. Believe what you will but we think these burger recipes will have you thanking whoever came up with the idea to place a grilled meat patty between two buns and top with whatever relish suits your fancy.
Interestingly, regions of our country think of a burger in different ways. For instance, in Connecticut (possibly where it was invented), one of the top burger restaurants serves the burger steamed. In Wisconsin, aka America’s Dairyland, butter is a big part of the burger mix. Down south in Tennessee, they deep-fry them, of course.
California Burger (serves 4)
(Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Honey-Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/3 cup canned French’s crispy fried onions
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ small avocado, sliced
½ c sprouts
Hamburger buns
Instructions:
Combine mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream and set aside. Combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, 2/3 cups of the fried onions, and the garlic salt and ground black pepper.
Form the mixture into four hamburger patties. Grill over high heat until the juices run clear (meat thermometer should read an internal temperature of 160 degrees).
Place cooked burgers on rolls. Top each with the sauce, avocado slices, and sprouts and remaining crispy fried onion.
Tex-Mex Burger (serves four)
(Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce and tomato to top
Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Set aside.
Mix together ground sirloin, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Divide into four balls and flatten each ball into a patty.
Place patties on the grill and cook five minutes per side, or until well done. During the last two minutes of cooking, lay the cheese slice atop each patty.
Prepare buns and spread the seasoned mayonnaise on both sides of the bun. Add burger to bun and top with lettuce and tomato, as you like.