After grinding my own steak burgers, I couldn’t wait to try doing so again. In the name of keeping things interesting, I thought I’d keep my Asian kick going, and sought some inspiration from my recent Thai green curry with beef. I was sad to run out of the stuff, so I thought how could I make it again, but in burger form?

I chose two well marbled and very beefy cuts for the burger: ribeye and shortribs (and this is entirely personal preference–you want intense flavor and a good bit of fat). Then, I incorporated other flavors from green curry–green curry paste, peppers, ginger, lime, basil, coconut–and worked all of that into the ground beef. The flavor was a bit more subtle than I’d expected; kind of an upfront aftertaste–a pretaste–before the dominant beefiness dominated. You pick up a hint of coconut, the distinct green curry flavor, a bit of heat, and a green oniony/gingery kind of lingering flavor that all comes together nicely. Of course, nobody could complain about the beefy flavor.

I wasn’t disappointed, but I had expected a stronger, punchier flavor to it–perhaps more curry paste would be in order next time. One thing I would definitely tweak though is to add a bit binding–I would think a 1/4 cup or so of bread crumbs would do just the trick. All the Thai flavors added a bit of wetness that left these burgers fighting for their lives to stay together on the grill.

• ~1 lb ribeye
• ~3/4 lb shortribs
• 1 shallot
• 2 green onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 poblano
• 1 habanero
• 1 inch knob of ginger
• small handful of basil and/or tarragon
• 2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk
• cayenne
• salt
• pepper

In a bowl, mix the dry spices and wet ingredients–curry paste, coconut milk, lime juice, egg, oyster sauce, etc.

All that remains is the beef, vegetables, and herbs. Cut all of these into long, thin strips and toss them in a bowl. Stick this in your freezer for 30 minutes before you push all of this through a meat grinder and into your bowl of wet ingredients.

Gently mix the ground beef with the wet ingredients and form into patties. Refrigerate this for a short while before grill time, and then fire up the grill, and cook these for no more than 5 minutes per side (only flip once!). I chose toppings that I thought were somewhat in line with the flavors I was aiming to spotlight, so instead of ketchup, I applied a bit of sambal oelek and a small mound of bean sprouts (which both paired wonderfully and I’d highly recommend them both). I considered a grilled round of pineapple, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe on another burger.

I served with a side of ghee, salt, pepper, and hoisin rubbed & grilled summer squash and green beans. Enjoy!

Posted by mike on July 20th, 2009 in Asian, Barbeque, Beef, Main course

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Other dishes you might enjoy:

• Thai Green Curry with Beef
• Thai Red Curry Chicken
• Michael Burgers!
• Sweet Potato Beef & Peanut Soup
• The Best Damn Burgers