Teriyaki Burgers

This recipe came about while I was trying to come up with meals to make for my father who, after a recent lung transplant, now has a circumscribed diet: No meat that is not cooked all the way thru (goodbye rare steak!), no unpasteurized cheeses, no deli meats, and no raw fruits or vegetables. The trick I'm trying to work on is how to make well-done steaks, burgers, and pork still be juicy and flavorful for a man who used to order his steaks all-but still mooing.

Happily, this recipe was a total success.

Since I was making this to be stored in the freezer for multiple easy dinners for my parents I used 2 lbs of ground beef, which is enough to serve 6-7 people.

 (Make sure the beef is 80-85% lean, if not fattier. You need the fat for flavor!)

To the ground beef add just shy 1 cup of teriyaki marinade, 6 small scallions finely diced, & 2 inches of grated fresh ginger root.

The dark stuff is the ginger that has soaked in teriyaki.

Mix well and form into patties.

If there is extra liquid at the bottom of your bowl, pour it out and use less next time. Too much liquid will make the burgers fall apart before you can cook them. 

If they really seem too damp to you, add 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs to absorb a bit and 1 egg to bind the mixture before forming the patties.

(Yes, when I made this a second time I was left with one runt... which was a delicious snack! Or alternately, a test burger to make sure it's to your liking.)

Ideally you want these to sit and marinate for a few hours before cooking them so the flavors can really sink into the meat.

The result should be some very zippy and juicy burgers, even if you've cooked them to well-done.

I served this up on a sesame brioche bun with some agave & ginger carrot sticks instead of fries because a) I didn't have any potatoes on hand and b) I really love fresh ginger, so it wasn't overkill for me at all.

If fresh ginger is too strong for you, halve the amount you put in your burgers for a subtler zing.

If you know anyone who has to have their meat well-done, try this out.

It's a winner.