The PERFECT Burger! Plus how we do Oven Fries

I'm not kidding

This is the best grilled burger ever!

A perfect grilled burger with crispy oven fries...and topped with a sesame seed bun :)

Perfect oven fries.

My husband is the real Burger King. Just sayin'

This is a simple but amazingly delicious all-american dinner. But you know that already.

One of my husband's secrets is to put a hole in the center of each raw hamburger patty. This helps it cook quicker and more evenly. As a result, the meat does not shrink and mound up as much while cooking. He also seasons the meat generously, so they have great flavor too. We get juicy burgers that are not overdone on the edges and then raw in the center, so they are safer to eat as well.

You can easily make this a gluten-free dinner by using crunchy romaine lettuce leaves as lettuce wraps. You may also enjoy shaping the burgers into oblong shapes to better fit into the longer lettuce wraps, you know, like a fat hot-dog shaped hamburger patty. We don't put holes in the center of the oblong patties. they cook fast enough because they are narrow.

I start baking the oven fries about 40 minutes before he starts grilling the meat. Our daughter prepares the other hamburger toppings and sets the table.

You can make fry sauce by mixing ketchup and mayonnaise together. Go heavier on the ketchup. You can add a touch of seasoned salt to the fry sauce if you want. A bit of smoked paprika added is nice too. I think McD's adds sweet pickle relish to their "Special Sauce". 

Crispy Oven Fries:

1 potato per person (I used Yukon Golds)

Deodorized coconut oil

Seasoned salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Generously oil a baking sheet with coconut oil.

Scrub the potatoes and cut in the middle lengthwise. Then cut into strips almost 1/2-inch wide.

Arrange the cut potatoes in 1 layer on the oiled baking sheet and bake about 20 to 30 minutes.

Turn the potatoes and bake another 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Serve hot.

The Perfect Grilled Burger:

Organic ground beef or buffalo

Seasoned salt

Garlic seasoning, optional

Cheese, optional

Recommended Hamburger Toppings:

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Romaine lettuce

Sliced ripe tomatoes

Crisp bacon strips

Pickles

Onion slices

Avocado slices

Whatever else you can think of...

Method:

Preheat your outdoor grill.

Shape the burger into patties the size you want.

Season both sides of the patties with seasoned salt and garlic seasoning.

Poke a hole in the center of each patty.

Grill on your grill about 5 minutes, depending on the size of your burgers.

flip burgers and top with cheese if desired. 

Grill a couple minutes more and serve hot.

Top with your desired hamburger toppings.

You can choose a gluten-free option and make into a lettuce wrap.

The Yukon Golds are baking in coconut oil before the hamburgers are started. So far they have baked 30 minutes.

3 hamburger patties were made and seasoned from 1 lb organic ground beef.

Poke a hole in the center of the hamburger patties.

            

The grilling burgers are ready to be topped with cheese. See how the holes have closed up?

This burger is ready to get dressed.

The oven fries have been seasoned with season salt.

That's a nice looking plate of food.

This baby is wrapped in saran wrap or it will drip to my elbows!

CHOMP!

Enjoy!

Leila.

Super easy, Super delicious BBQ Angus Beef Skewers

Marinated Black Angus BBQ Stick Meat

This is so easy, it's hardly a recipe. We had to post it though because it is so good! The meat is tender, juicy and flavorful.

You let it marinate as you get the rest of your meal ready, including the time it takes to skewer the meat. The grilling time is quick too, because the meat is so thin.

My dad says it's the best "stick meat" he's ever had. That's saying something! My family loves these with a big side of Rutabaga Fries. Really.

I will post the delicious recipe for those fries soon. They have about the 4th of the carbs that potatoes do - and we have some tricks we use to prepare them. Stay tuned!







Black Angus Stick Meat Recipe:

2 pounds Black Angus flap meat, sliced with the grain, into strips
Tamari (or favorite soy sauce if you are not concerned about gluten)
Balsamic vinegar (We like Costco's Kirkland brand)
Skewers
Melted coconut oil
Outdoor grill


Method:

Place the flap meat in a bowl. Sprinkle with Tamari and balsamic vinegar.

Toss to coat well and let marinate from 30 minutes to 2 hours, while you are preparing the rest of your meal.

Weave the strips of meat onto skewers.

Brush the meat with melted coconut oil to prevent the meat sticking to the grill.

Grill on an outdoor grill, leaving the insides still pink.


Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy

Delicious, juicy make-ahead turkey burgers (Low-Carb)

Turkey Tofu Burgers

Turkey Tofu Burgers on the grill.

These burgers have a delicious flavor and a nice tender and moist texture. My mom came up with this recipes over 10 years ago, and it's a good one! These are much better than the typical turkey burger (which I really do not normally care for).

A handy recipe where you can make several portions ahead of time, and have them ready in your freezer for quick delicious meals later.

Cook them like you would any other type of burger, bake, pan fry, or grill, they are sure to please. Don't worry about the tofu - you do not taste it here!


TURKEY TOFU BURGERS Recipe:

Yield: 16 1/2-cup burgers (large adult sized)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

2 (14 to 16-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu
1 T. black pepper
2 T. Tamari soy sauce (gluten-free)
3 T. Bronner's Protein Seasoning
3 T. onion powder (not onion salt)
1 to 2 T. fine ground psyllium husk powder
1/2 t. smoke flavoring ("Mesquite" preferred), if desired
1/2 c. warmed coconut oil
1/2 c. cold water
2 pounds ground dark turkey meat


Method:

Freeze the 2 (14 to 16-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu for at least 24 hours. (Freezing makes the tofu more crumbly.)

Thaw the tofu, pour off the water and discard. Crumble the tofu into a large bowl.

Add to the tofu in the bowl, the pepper, Tamari, Bronner's Protein Seasoning, onion powder, finely ground psyllium husk powder, and smoke flavoring, if using.

Toss gently to mix well. Avoid "gooshing", which ruins the ground meat texture.

Stir in the 1/2 c. melted coconut oil and 1/2 c. cold water. Mix well together.

Add the 2 pounds dark ground turkey meat, mixing gently, without squishing, until everything is well combined.

Shape into patties (1/3 to 1/2 cup each).Store the formed patties, stacked in freezer bags.


To Cook:

Pan fry with a little coconut oil, bake, or grill until cooked through. Serve.


Enjoy,

Leila

On-The-Go Grilled Chicken Strips

On-The-Go Grilled Chicken Strips 

I have wanted the convenience of pre-sliced char-broiled chicken breasts in my freezer, at my beck and call...for topping salads, adding to wraps, soups, sandwiches, whatever...

So Yesterday I lightly brined a large bag of thawed chicken breasts (I counted 17 breasts), in a large stock pot with some herbs and spices. I let it brine 24 hours, but you could brine the chicken for less time if you wanted. The brining is very easy to do, and it infuses the meat with flavor and keeps the meat tender and moist.

I then poached the chicken in the brining liquid until it was a little over half-way cooked through. Then we got our outdoor grill fired up and finished them off there, to create that nice grilled flavor. I first poached the chicken so that we didn't have to stand outside in the cold for a long time (it is January after all). You can skip the poaching step if you want to stand outside and tend the grill for a longer time.

I let the grilled chicken cool and then sliced it up and portioned the slices into quart-sized freezer storage bags. I Popped the bags in the freezer and they are ready to go at a moments notice.


ON-THE-GO JUICY GRILLED CHICKEN Recipe:

1 large bag of frozen chicken breasts (about 16 breasts)
2 T. sea salt
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 t. Italian seasoning (or other seasoning of choice)
1/2 t. onion powder
2 c. hot water
water to cover the chicken

Method:

Rinse the thawed chicken and place in a large stock pot.
Fill the pot with water, to just cover the chicken
Smash the garlic cloves with the salt in a mortar and pestle. (the salt helps with the garlic smashing).
In 2 cups hot water, add the Italian seasoning, onion powder, and smashed garlic-salt mixture.
Stir to completely dissolve the salt. Add the salt water (brine) to the chicken in the pot.
Refrigerate, letting the chicken marinate in the brine for up to 24 hours, (alternately you can marinate the chicken in zip-lock bags)

The next day:
Bring the pot of chicken to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, so that it is barely simmering.
Simmer about 10 minutes, then check the chicken for done-ness (is that a word?).
You want the chicken to be a little over half-way done.Remove chicken from the pot carefully.
place partway cooked chicken on a preheated outdoor grill.
Grill until cooked through, turning so that both sides have nice grill marks.
Cut into thin slices as soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle.
Portion meat into quart-sized freezer bags and freeze for future use.


Shortcut:
You can just brine the chicken for 1 to 2 hours by doubling the salt in the brine and diluting with less water. Before poaching the chicken, rinse the meat and poach in clean water. You may add more spices to the cooking water if desired. Then proceed as above.


Note: Use Gluten-Free seasonings and onion salt if that is a concern for you.

Chicken in the seasoned brine

Grilling the partially poached chicken

Don't let the chicken dry out while grilling

The grilled chicken is cooling before being sliced

The moist, sliced chicken

Packaged for the freezer

Enjoy!

Leila