Poor Man's Hamburger Steaks

Perfect recipe in this economy!

"An old fashioned hamburger steak recipe topped with cream of mushroom. Serve with some warm mashed potatoes and your favorite green vegetable or salad.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 3 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
  
• 25 saltine crackers, crushed
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, drained (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, crackers, milk, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Form 6 or 8 large beef patties, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish, or other shallow casserole dish. Pour the condensed soup evenly over the top of the patties, and sprinkle canned mushrooms over the top. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
3. Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until beef patties are well done.

Surprise Burgers

At first I thought the "Surprise Burger" would be too sweet but we really enjoyed it! I would have never thought to sneak a pineapple ring inside the burger. These burgers are messy but tasty.

Here's the recipe - serves 4:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 pineapple rings
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat a grill for high heat.
2. Divide the ground beef into four portions, and form patties around pineapple rings so that none of the pineapple is showing. In a small saucepan, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
3. Place burgers on the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Spoon some of the brown sugar sauce over the burgers before serving.

Tommy's Burgers - CA and NV

Many moons ago when I lived in Pasadena, CA - it was 2AM and a couple of friends and I were craving a juicy burger. I had never indulged in the CA icon Tommy's Burgers until then - I will never forget that night, good friends, laughs and a big, messy, tasty chiliburger at 2AM.

Here's some Tommy history:

Tommy’s World Famous Hamburgers are definitely one of the best you can find in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Founded in 1946 by Tommy Koulax on the corner of Beverly and Rampart, the burger chain has taken other fast-food competitors in stride and expanded to include several locations all over the Los Angeles area, including the Orange, Riverside, and San Bernadino Counties, as well as all over southern California and into Nevada. An LA icon, the burger chain has been rated the best in Orange County and expects to retain the title for years to come. The natives and tourists of southern California all seem to agree that it is easily the best burger in town and possibly the best in Southern California, while some enthusiasts are ready to crown it the best in the world.
Made with basic, but quality ingredients, all Tommy’s burgers’ 100 percent beef patties are topped with ripe beefsteak tomatoes, freshly chopped onions, thick slices of real cheddar cheese, pickles, mustard, and of course a heavy dose of their famous chili. With each burger made to order, they come out fresh and piping hot. In addition to their popular burgers, the chain also offers custom made hot dogs and tamales. Burger lovers from all over California and the world are drawn to the ramshackle hut for its retro charm and outstanding chili. The combination of the freshly prepared ingredients and ambience makes Tommy’s one of the best, most beloved, and fastest selling burger joints on the west coast, and maybe, in the world.

Double Brie Burger

My daughter, Andy has been craving Brie lately so I decided to try Brie Burgers - Andy LOVED them! The cheese oozes with just about every bite. Very easy and simple recipe.


Brie lovers will flip for this super cheesy burger. Brie is added to the ground meat mixture, grilled and then topped with another slice of brie. Serve with crusty bread or baguettes and a tomato, red onion and avocado salad.

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sirloin or your favorite ground beef

2 ounces brie, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 thin slices Brie

Directions:

• Mix the ground meat, chopped Brie and salt and pepper. Using your hands, form 4 large burgers, making sure that the brie is on the inside of the burger.
• Preheat a charcoal or gas grill until red hot. Grill the burgers about 4 minutes. Gently flip the burger and grill another 3 to 4 minutes, depending on whether you like your burger rare or medium rare. Top each burger with 2 slices of brie and cook another minute or until the cheese is just melted. Makes 4 large burgers.

Tips for Cooking the Best Hamburgers

I know most of us want the leanest meats for our recipes however when cooking burgers the 80/20 mix is the best. For a juicy burger there needs to be some fat in the mix - yep - fat; there are times a little fat is justified, who wants to have a hockey puck burger?

Here's some great burger advice from About.com

Select the Best Meat

I surveyed a lot of authorities on cooking burgers, and there is agreement on this point. The best, juiciest burgers are made from ground beef chuck, which is about 20 percent fat. Less fat makes a drier burger (however, see tips below when using leaner meat). Meat labeled "ground beef" or "hamburger" can be up to 30 percent fat, and authorities agree that it is also best to know what part of the animal your burger is coming from.

Even Better...and Best Ways

Select a piece of chuck and have your butcher grind it (yes, there are people behind those doors -- just ring the bell). Ask for a "coarse" grind. Or, best, grind your own with a meat grinder or chop in the food processor (cut into 1- to 1½-inch cubes first). An advantage to this is that there are fewer worries about contamination and you can safely cook your burgers medium-rare, if that's how you like them.

Don't Handle the Meat Too Much

The heat from your hands begins to melt the fat and makes the patty too dense. Move it lightly from hand to hand and loosely make a patty ¾- to one-inch thick (no thicker, or you will have to cook it too long).

Don't Press Down on the Burgers When Cooking

This compresses the meat, making it denser, and also squeezes the juices out of the meat.

Make an Indentation in the Top

Have you noticed that your burgers tend to form rounded tops when cooking, causing the condiments to slide off? So did the folks at America's Test Kitchen. They found that by pushing down slightly in the center, creating a round area about ¼ inch lower than the surrounding meat, made the burger come out flat.

Try Different Types of Meats or a Combo

Almost any kind of ground meat can be used to make burgers, or mix together different ones. I've heard of mixing pork with beef, chicken with lamb, or even buffalo with beef. For flavor, try mixing some fresh sausage in with another type of meat.

Adding Flavors to the Meat

Many people just want great beef, straight up with salt and pepper. But it's also fun to add flavors, and if you are using leaner meats, or leaner cuts of beef, you can add moisture at the same time. Finely minced vegetables such as onion, mushrooms, or mild chiles are especially good for this. You can also take a lean cut of meat and add some olive oil for good fat, although this will cook faster than meats that are naturally fattier. More Tips on Cooking Low Fat Burgers from Fiona Haynes

Tip: When adding other ingredients to ground meat, use a spoon or spatula to avoid heating the meat with your hands - see above.

Liquids - Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce are perhaps the two most common liquids to add to burgers. Most recipes call for about a Tablespoon of liquid per pound of meat, but I have seen anywhere from a teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons. Wine is another possibility, or, for blander meats, concentrated beef stock or Better Than Bouillon.

Spices - Other than salt and pepper, almost any spice in the cabinet is a good addition. Garlic or onion powder is probably the most common, but everything I've seen everything from chili powder to Asian spices to Middle Eastern to packets of salad dressing mix (but watch the sugar on that one).

Cooking the Burgers

Get the grill or pan really hot. If using lean meat, oil the grill or put a little oil in the pan. Put the burger in and don't move it until it naturally releases. Some people turn it at this point (and then flip again later), and others cook for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is, the type of meat (leaner meat cooks faster), and how done you want it to be. Then flip the burger and cook on the other side until done, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

If you have a thermometer, cook until 160° F., unless you have fresh meat ground at home. In that case, you can take them off around 140 if you like.