Lamb Burgers Recipe - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of lamb for burgers? ›

Location: The front shoulder of the lamb. Fat Content: High. Flavor: Very well balanced with a large amount of fat, a bit of sour grassiness, and plenty or rich, deep lamb flavor. The equivalent of the beef chuck, it similarly is the best single-cut piece for making burger meat out of.

Choosing between lamb and beef ground meat ultimately comes down to personal preference and the dish you're making. If you prefer a slightly milder and sweeter flavor with fewer calories, lamb may be the way to go. If you prefer a rich and meaty flavor with more fat and calories, beef may be your best bet.

Working in two batches, place meat cubes in food processor and pulse until medium-fine grind is achieved, about 8 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down processor bowl as necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use. Transfer meat mixture to a large tray and divide into four piles.

Lamb burgers can also be served medium or medium-rare just like a beef burger. Cook for 3-4 minutes if you prefer medium. How to top your burger: We perfected these burgers by slathering our homemade feta-yogurt sauce on both sides of the bun, then topping our patties with red onion and arugula.

Excess fat will actually lead to your patties falling apart more - not less. You absolutely want fat in there (I like 85/15 but 80/20 lean/fat is good too) but the fat doesn't hold the meat together.

I love making these flavorful lamb burgers stuffed with creamy, delicious goat cheese. I use basil and oregano in mine, but feel free to use your favorite herbs and spices as this recipe is very forgiving. Serve on hamburger buns or pita bread with tzatziki sauce or on their own with a Greek salad.

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution.

Older lamb, known as mutton, and certain breeds, may have a stronger aroma, so talk to your butcher about the types of lamb that they sell and which will have the least odour when cooking. Depending on the age and type of your lamb, it can present a more gamey taste and lamb smell than the beef that you're used to.

Amid fears of a no-deal Brexit last year and high demand, UK sheep producers killed lambs early and adopted a cautious approach to this season, leading to a lamb shortage. Now prices have risen so high that Mr Debman can't countenance that his customers will stump up.

A rare, or pink, lamb chop that has been seared well on the outside should be fine because any bacteria on the outer surface will have been killed by the heat. But minced or diced lamb or mutton should never be served pink. It needs to be thoroughly cooked and browned. The same goes for burgers.

Do lamb burgers have to be well done? ›

Lamb patties and ground lamb mixtures such as meat loaf should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1° C), and measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Not all markets boast an in-house butcher these days, but if yours does, choose a leaner cut of lamb a part of the leg, for example and have the store grind it for you. Of course, if you own a meat grinder, or a stand mixer with a meat-grinding attachment, buy the leaner cut, bring it home, and grind away.

Bake until patties are well-browned and internal temperature is at least 165 degrees—25 to 30 minutes. Don't skip the olive oil; ground lamb tends to be very lean so it needs some fat to keep it juicy.

It is safe to eat lamb that is still pink inside, as long as the outer surface has been thoroughly seared to kill any bacteria that may be present [2]. However, certain cuts of lamb, such as ground lamb, should never be eaten rare, as this raises the chances of consuming bacteria that wasn't removed during cooking [2].

That green sheen is oxidised proteins on the surface of the meat. It is not inherently harmful but it does mean that the meat has been exposed to air for an extended period of time.

Shoulder meat is the preferred cut for ground lamb because it is lean, but you can also use leg meat. Be careful not to overwork ground lamb when you are forming patties or sausages. For the best flavor, ask a butcher to grind fresh lamb meat for you rather than buying pre-ground packaged lamb.

Unlike with beef, the lamb brisket, flank, and skirt are boned out and used to grind for ground lamb. I like to grind my lamb at a ratio of about 80% lean.

Chuck is the most commonly used cut of beef in burger blends. Marbled throughout and well-balanced in flavor with a decent lean-to-fat ratio, chuck steak is generally the primary cut used in burger blends and is supplemented with one or two other cuts of meat.

Choosing a Cut of Beef

You want to start with full-flavored beef. I almost always go for chuck, round or even brisket. Round is leaner so you'll need to increase the fat content by adding another cut. That's when I ask for the short-ribs.