Ingredients for Hamburger
- 4 hamburger buns
- 1 dessert spoon (about 2 tsp) butter
- For the köfte (Turkish meatballs):
- 300 g beef ribeye and 200 g fatty beef brisket, ground together once
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 onion
- 1 dessert spoon (about 2 tsp) salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- For the garnishes:
- 1 medium tomato
- 4 pickle cucumbers
- 4 leaves curly lettuce
How to Make Hamburger
In a bowl, combine 500 g of ground meat with 1 grated onion, half a tea glass (about 50 ml / 3 tbsp + 1 tsp) of breadcrumbs, 1 dessert spoon (about 2 tsp) of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper, then knead together.
Divide the prepared köfte mixture into four equal portions and shape each into a thick, round patty. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet on the stove until hot, place the patties in the pan, and fry on both sides.
Spread butter on the cut sides of the hamburger buns, then toast them briefly in the grill pan. Place the bottom halves of the buns on serving plates and top with the seared patties. Layer with tomato slices, pickled cucumbers, and curly lettuce leaves, then close the buns and serve with french fries. Insert a toothpick through the top to keep them from falling apart while serving. Enjoy!
Cooking Tip
Ketchup and mayonnaise can be added to taste.
About This Recipe
A hamburger is a type of sandwich made with a meat patty placed between two round buns. It is especially popular served with additions such as ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, caramelized or raw onion, tomato, and mustard. Chicken is also sometimes used in place of beef, making the hamburger a fairly high-fat food.
Its history stretches back to Central Asia and the Turkic communities known as Tatars. Tatar warriors used to consume meat raw. On long campaigns, they would place raw meat under their saddles, and the motion of the horse would partially cook it, making it easier to eat. On one such long journey, after taking the meat out from under the saddle, they began adding salt, pepper, and onion to it. This is how what we know today as Steak Tartare came to be. In the mid-1800s, a merchant from Hamburg, Germany, tasted Steak Tartare during a business trip to Central Asia, enjoyed it, and brought it back to Germany. He began selling it there as "Hamburg Steak." Later, a chef also from Hamburg fried the meat and served it, giving it the name "Hamburger," meaning "of Hamburg."
In short, history's dusty pages offer more than one answer to the question "Who invented the hamburger?" Whoever it was, we are grateful. We'll leave the answer to "What makes us love hamburgers so much?" up to you — but we're happy to answer "How do we make a great hamburger at home?" Our delicious Hamburger recipe smells just as wonderful as our Herb Hamburger recipe. Enjoy!
