One bite into these delectable burgers and you’ll know you’ve made the winning touchdown!
“I bit into my burger and the juices ran down my arm.” Have you heard this before and stared at the perpetrator in disbelief before walking away with a feeling of sadness, usually accompanied by the shame of not experiencing that ever! Well I felt the same until I figured out the secret to making these juicy mounds of madness!
Are you ready for this? Are you sure you are? You may not like it but, here goes… filler… filler… filler… there you go, I said it! Even the high end restaurants do it. Where’d you think the juiciness comes from? Don’t fret! When I say filler I don’t mean any of that ghastly stuff we won’t mention but more the wholesome ingredients like eggs and milk and sometimes bread or breadcrumbs thrown in too.
I grew up eating a version of these egg and milk laden burgers and I had no problem with it. Well… until I at some point ‘grew up’ and I decided that that just wouldn’t do. The best burger had to have just one main ingredient – a good cut of beef, coarsely ground and formed into a rustic burger.
Now, now, before you jump to any conclusions, there is nothing wrong with a ‘just meat’ burger, absolutely not! There are days when only that will do, but for the other days, all I want is to bite into the amazingly juicy burgers from my childhood.
With delicious memories on my mind, I donned my apron, rolled up my sleeves and set to work recreating these juicy patties! Another reason to make my tender burgers was a promise to a dear friend, Rohan, that I would make him these burgers one day!
Touch Down Beef Burgers
You will need
1 lb ground beef (85%), preferably grassfed
1 large egg, organic or cage-free
1/4 cup organic whole milk
1 slice of good quality bread
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons beef-bacon drippings
1 tablespoon organic ghee
4 brioche buns
1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
1 medium tomato, thickly sliced
4 butter lettuce leaves
ketchup, mustard or your favorite hot sauce (optional)
dill pickles (optional)
potato chips (optional but highly recommended)
To make
Set aside the ground beef while making the egg mixture.
Crack the egg into a medium sized bowl.
Tear the bread into small pieces and throw into the bowl.
Pour in the whole milk,
Mush the eggs, bread and milk into a thickish batter.
Add the ground beef to the bowl along with the salt and pepper.
Using your impeccably clean hands gently mix the ingredients until evenly combined. Do not over mix.
Form into medium sized patties, making an indentation in the middle of the patties and set aside. You may need to use slightly oiled hands to do this.
Heat the beef-bacon drippings and ghee in a large frying pan until moderately hot.
Gently slide in the patties into the pan, one at a time. You will hear a pleasant sear of the patty once it makes contact with the hot fats.
DO NOT turn the patty over right away.
Wait about 1 1/2 minutes before turing it over.
Sear on the second side for about 2 more minutes.
Transfer to a warm plate to rest.
Butter your brioche buns.
Stack the bottom of the bun with a lettuce leaf, one big patty or two small beef patties, a slice of tomato, your condiment of choice and finally put on the top of the buttered brioche.
Assemble the rest of the burgers.
Serve the burgers with the potato chips and a cloth napkin, to mop off the juices that will be dribbling down your arm.

My son making faces on his burger 🙂
Tips
- By the way if I confused you with the 85% for the ground beef, all it means is that it has a little more fat in it that the regular ground beef which is around 94% or so.
- You will be tempted to flip the patties over and over again when in the frying pan. If you do succumb to this madness you will not get a good sear on your burger. The sear helps to lock in the juices.
- I mentioned that you should make a slight indentation on the patty before frying. By doing so you will not get a bulging burger. It will be flat enough to cook evenly.
- I do use organic ingredients wherever possible as it’s much healthier choice. If you don’t have access to organic variety of ingredients by all means please go ahead and try the recipe with what you have. Organic is not for everyone, be it a personal or financial choice.
I am sucker for a good burger and this looks like a great burger..I have to try this!
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Hey Sarah. Yes, you definitely have to try it. You won’t be sorry 🙂 What’s your favorite burger to make?
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Looks great! Had never thought to why some burgers are juicier than others, outside of being overcooked. Filler, huh? Hope your kids know how lucky they are to have you making their meals!
Super Bowl party was fun? Play any games of touch football, haha 😉
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Lol! No touch football this year Liz! Super bowl party was fun and pretty low key so was great. The host made some amazing food. Yum!
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Yum! love your description of these burgers 😀
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I love writing and it’s great when I hear about it from you all:) thank you.
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My mouth is watering!! These look so incredibly delicious! Great tips and awesome photos…I’ll definitely be making this! 😉
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Thank you Bonnie. They are definitely delicious! I’m glad you liked my photos, I’m definitely struggling with them. Trying to get better 🙂 Let me know how the burgers turn out.
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