Email to Cat      

Grilled Steak Burgers

Source of Recipe

From "The Ultimate Burger" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"We wanted a burger with the big beefy flavor and the crusty char of a grilled steak. Ground sirloin, the most flavorful ground beef, was a natural choice, but unfortunately it's quite lean. A seasoned butter added richness to the sirloin, but something was still missing. Steak sauce! In about five minutes we simmered up our own intensely flavored sauce, which was perfect for serving with the burger, smearing on the bun, and even brushing onto the patties before cooking."

List of Ingredients

Burgers:
â—¦ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 teaspoons onion powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pepper
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds 90 percent lean ground sirloin
â—¦ 2 teaspoons soy sauce
â—¦ 4 hamburger buns

Steak Sauce:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦ â…” cup beef broth
â—¦ â…“ cup raisins
â—¦ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
â—¦ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
â—¦ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


Recipe

For the burgers: Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onion powder, pepper, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour all but 1 tablespoon butter mixture into bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes.

For the steak sauce: Meanwhile, add tomato paste to skillet and cook over medium heat until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire and simmer until raisins plump, about 5 minutes. Process sauce in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl.

Break ground beef into small pieces in large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons cooled butter mixture and soy sauce and gently knead with hands until well combined. Divide beef mixture into four equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾-inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot. Brush each patty on both sides with 1 tablespoon steak sauce. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons cooled butter mixture with 2 tablespoons steak sauce; set aside.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave burners on high.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place patties on grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip patties and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 120° to 125° F (for medium-rare) or 130° to 135° F (for medium), 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Brush cut side of buns with butter-steak sauce mixture. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, about 2 minutes. Serve burgers on buns, topped with remaining steak sauce.

Serves 4