Burger mix

[gelert]

I mince once through a 6mm plate coarse I think,add whatever fat content,for me usually beef at around 25 - 30% then one of the weschenfelder mixes. Caramelized red onion or the black pepper mix is superb as is the above.Mix thoroughly and add your water,and leave over night to stiffen up in the fridge before shaping.
Standard pack with 8lb of meat will do 10lb of burger with 1 pint of water and one of the above packs will give about 40 1/4 pounders.

 

[Grand Slam]

I use Dalesman Direct - Home for all my sausage and burger mixes. I will look at doing my own at some point for the quantity I am making this works for me.

I add these mixes directly onto the chilled meat (80/20) and then mince on a course plate. Chill again and then run it through on the finer plate. Consistency works for me, binds perfectly and I find adding the mix before mincing helps distribute it more evenly and thoroughly than trying to incorporate it all by hands after mincing.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Sadly Stuart with great difficulty. As posted elsewhere, I process to use the carcasses I shoot as no AGHE nearby so supply is limited by what I can shoot so I don’t do mail order. Fallow bucks are not playing the game at present so I’ve currently got more orders than I can satisfy and new local customers wanting more Only a muntjac yesterday so lean pickings again

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No problem, thank you for the reply

 

[Sunrise Stalker]

I've only tried making burgers a few times. I vaccuum packed and froze them, but when you defrost - they lose all form and you have to reshape them. Is there a way around this?

 

[VSS]

I've only tried making burgers a few times. I vaccuum packed and froze them, but when you defrost - they lose all form and you have to reshape them. Is there a way around this?

Freeze them before vac packing.
Cook from frozen.

 

[Grand Slam]

I've only tried making burgers a few times. I vaccuum packed and froze them, but when you defrost - they lose all form and you have to reshape them. Is there a way around this?

Freeze them before vac packing.
Cook from frozen.

As VSS says,

Freeze / Part freeze enough so they hold their shape when vacuum packing. Learnt this the hard way whilst in a rush. I tend not to pack more than 4 into a bag with burgers discs between, then when they thaw you can easily separate, maintaining the shape and integrity of the burger.

 

[wytonpjs]

Freeze them before vac packing.

Thanks for that - now I've moved to using trays, I'll give that a go as it'll be much easier to handle

 

[Camdig]

Venison and Juniper mix with a bit of pork fat, am not sure who makes the mix but they are delicious.

 

[VSS]

Thanks for that - now I've moved to using trays, I'll give that a go as it'll be much easier to handle

I put 4 per tray, pop the trays in the freezer for a bit until the burgers are almost frozen, then vac pack on a fairly low setting to avoid overly distorting the tray. That's for fresh sales.
For freezer stock I don't use poly trays. I freeze the burgers solid, then vac pack 4 per bag (2x2 with discs between).

 

[Jagged77]

How would I get some of these to Sheffield, please?

Happy to drop you some Roe mince around Stuart?

 

[weblyish]

As VSS says,

Freeze / Part freeze enough so they hold their shape when vacuum packing. Learnt this the hard way whilst in a rush. I tend not to pack more than 4 into a bag with burgers discs between, then when they thaw you can easily separate, maintaining the shape and integrity of the burger.

I freeze on trays then vac pack when they are rock hard so you can easy separate them when frozen and I usually keep a dozen or so just in a big ziplock bag as they don't last long

 

[Olaf]

Putting it through the mincer twice and really mashing the seasonings in with your hand solves all the falling apart stuff for me

If you are having trouble keeping them together minced soaked dry fruit helps a bit if you like a venison and apricot or date type flavour - nice but not my choice

As to flavour, I avoid premade mix.
Salt pepper a hint of chilli, cumin coriander for some of them and mashed garlic and herbs for others or just plain salt and pepper

Olafs suggestion above of parmesan sounds like a very good idea. Tons of flavour and will brown up on the crust nicely as well will probably try that soon

Yes, it contains lots of naturally occurring free glutamate which is a flavour enhancing amino acid. You don’t need to use so much that the end result tastes of cheese. Obviously, if you want it to taste of cheese then just add more, but just using it at 1% will have a dramatic effect over using none. Try adding a little to a small amount of mince when making a batch and do a side by side test. A really good addition if using the Parmesan as a flavour enhancing additive ,as opposed to a cheese flavouring , is to add some very finely chopped and pulverised capers.
Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[pob]

I like this recipe, which uses 100% venison meat, but has parmesan. Getting pork fat is a bit of a faff for me.

Mike Robinson every day burger recipe

My only advice is that a "squidge" of ketchup is a very subjective thing. I had complaints when I used too much.

 

[Cottis]

Everyone has their own way but after trying various things, i now do it like this.

Mince is ground when the carcass is broken down and frozen in 500g bags which are flattened to allow for efficient storage and quicker defrosting. I only take the loin from the animal, literally everything else I mince because I am a philistine and lazy and most of the food I cook is mince based dishes.

For burgers, the mince is defrosted fully and while chilled, put in a bowl with the tiniest drizzle of olive oil and i mean so little that it is almost not even worth bothering with. I then season it with salt and pepper and sometimes with something spicier but basically it is meat and seasoning. No fat. DO NOT ADD FAT. Work it all in by hand and then grab whatever weight worth of meat you want your burger to be and quickly but gently roll it in to a ball. Ever so slightly smaller than a tennis ball is my preference. Press it down to flatten and encourage it in to something resembling a burger shape.

Then cook it and cook it fast and I mean fast. Searing hot pan with butter in it and fry quickly. 5-6minutes maximum for a decent sized burger. Flip it every minute and move it around to make uses of escaping goodness and whatever butter is left in the pan. And then serve however you like eating burgers.

Simple and less is more is the way forward. You get the best flavour and it isn't sullied with rendered fat from some other animal. It is the best flavour and if you cook it quick, it will not dry and it will be moist and juicy. If you go over 5-6minutes, you have removed the moisture and sullied the texture. It doesn't take much to overdo it.

 

[Olaf]

It tastes good. That's why.

If you like the flavour and texture that chemical additives bring to your food, then crack on and enjoy the ride. That’s the great thing about preparing and cooking you own food, you can prepare it just as you like and ingest whatever you want to.
One of the unsung benefits of not using lead ammunition is that it leaves your food free of potentially toxic lead particles , thus leaving room for you to replace them with any other ingredients that you prefer to ingest . I wish you Happy hunting and cooking.


Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[VSS]

As we speak....

 

[takbok]

Venison, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, Worcester sauce.

Once through the mincer with coarse 8mm plate, 4" spikomat burger press, freeze a bit then vac pack.

 

[3595wilk]

If you like the flavour and texture that chemical additives bring to your food, then crack on and enjoy the ride. That’s the great thing about preparing and cooking you own food, you can prepare it just as you like and ingest whatever you want to.
One of the unsung benefits of not using lead ammunition is that it leaves your food free of potentially toxic lead particles , thus leaving room for you to replace them with any other ingredients that you prefer to ingest . I wish you Happy hunting and cooking.


Kindest regards, Olaf

I do and will.

But glad you have given me your blessing...I will sleep much more soundly the neet...

 

[weblyish]

As we speak....
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Please explain to me how you squish such neat burgers with that thing

I practically handstand on mine and they don't even up like that

I did get a lever type one which is incredible but a big lump to keep around

 

[weblyish]

The consensus seems to be you are either:

Salt, pepper and a touch of umami masterclass

Or

Factory mix floor sweepings underclass


Make your choice wisely


But I am surprised that double mincing isn't as common as I thought
Insert you own drag Queen mincing joke here