The Top Steak houses now offer signature burgers made from specific cuts of beef (short rib, brisket, rib eye, etc.) that are chosen for their fat content, aging and flavor. Amazingly, these signature burgers are offered to consumers at prices upwards of twenty five dollars each, for ground beef between two pieces of bread.
Want a burger with that big beefy flavor and crusty char of a grilled steak, that won’t break the bank? The natural choice is ground sirloin. As the most flavorful ground beef, sirloin will deliver, but unfortunately it’s also quite lean.
I experimented and came up with three additional elements to cooking a sirloin burger to perfection. First thing we do is make a seasoned butter, to add richness (fat) to the meat. Second a beef flavored basting liquid, to keep the burger most. Third addition to the burger process is the use of a burger sauce, round out the flavor to the burger.
Ingredients:
SIRLOIN BURGERS
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground sirloin
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 4 flavorful buns, like Ciabatta, Pretzel or Brioche
BURGER SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
BASTING LIQUID
- ½ cup of low sodium beef broth
Preparation:
Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour garlic butter mixture onto a plate and let cool, about 15 minutes. Place the plate in the freezer and chill for 30 minutes to harden.
While the Compound butter is hardening, add tomato paste to into the same 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; transfers all but about 2 tablespoons, to bowl to use later. Add beef broth and 1 tablespoon of melted butter to blender and mix well, pour into another bowl; set aside for basting.
In a skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the onions and sauté on med until caramelized. Leave the remaining butter out to soften, for buttering the buns.
Meanwhile, remove the compound butter from the freezer and cut into small pieces. Divide into 4 equal piles of about 2 tablespoons each. Pull the (very cold) ground sirloin out of the refrigerator and add soy sauce, onion powder, pepper, 1 tablespoon of burger sauce and gently knead until well combined.
Divide the ground sirloin into 4 similar sized servings, mixing in one separate pile of the compound butter per burger. Shape into four 1inch-thick patties and press shallow divot in center of each. Season the patties with coarse salt; and place in the freezer, until ready to grill.
Prepare the grill for high heat cooking either charcoal or gas. While the grill is coming up to temperature, remove the burgers from the freezer and brush each patty all over with 1 tablespoon of the burger sauce.
Grill time is about 3-4 minutes per side; baste, after you flip the burgers the first time. Flip again after approximately another 3-4 minutes, baste and cook for another 2 minutes or more. Adjust cooking time for burgers to meet your desired temperature. Grill until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side, or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium).
Transfer burgers to a plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Cut open the buns (I used Brioche) and brush with softened butter. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Place burgers on buns and top with caramelized onions.
Big Bobby's Stuff 