Grandma's Burgers

Okay, another family recipe that has never been written down, but I can't keep it to myself, that would be selfish. This is the recipe for my Grandma Rose's hamburgers. She taught it to me so I could learn to expand my ingredients into a way to feed more people, still have flavor, and be full of nutrition. Is how you can turn 1 pound of ground meat into a way to make 6 burgers that are about 1/3 of a pound, instead of 4 that are only 1/4 of a pound. Yes, I follow it with a few suggestions.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. ground meat (beef or sausage, your choice)
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread
• Milk
• Italian herbs, salt, pepper, whatever you like
• Bare hands

Directions

1. Wash your hands, take off jewelry and watches.
2. Put the slice of bread on a plate or in a bowl. Soak it with the milk and let it soak.
3. Put the meat in a large bowl.
4. Crack the egg, and dump it over the meat.
5. Place the soaked slice of bread over the meat.
6. Knead mixture with bare hands, and sprinkle herbs over each layer before turning.
7. Use hands to cut the mixture in half lengthwise, and then in thirds (to get the 6 patties).
8. Form the patties and cook them on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill until they are done to the preferred taste. Then serve...

Suggestions
✔ Substitute a 2/3 cup of bread crumbs instead of the slice of bread
✔ Add 1/4 tsp. of smoke flavor sauce in the winter if cooked inside to make it taste like it was done outside.
✔ Hand press them to 1/4 pound in size and thickness to get 8 patties from 1 lbs. of meat
✔ Save at least one patty for the dog, they'll appreciate it
✔ When taking the slice of bread off of the plate of milk, lay a couple of Oreos on it to enjoy while grilling
✔ Use ground sausage instead of just ground beef, or combine them together to add flavor

Sausage vs. Bratwurst vs. Kielbasa

An Irishman, a German, and a Polish guy are standing in a garage, each enjoying a cocktail and cigars... Yeah, it sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it describes how my evening started. We had a very heated conversation about what the differences are between sausage, bratwurst, and kielbasa. Fortunately I had my HP tablet with me, so we searched the web. Turns out that they are all the same. We all had to come to the conclusion that we were all right, toasted, and have some suggestions on how to prepare them.

"Bratwurst" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

from brät-, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage.

 "Kielbasa" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

in Polish “kielbasa” simply means “sausage“

 "Sausage" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

made from ground meat (normally pork or beef), mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices with a tough skin around it

The only true "differences" between all of them are the meats and herbs/spices that are used in them. The process is the same. I'm not going to make you scroll down a lot to see any of the differences, use the links if you are interested. Now read on for the suggestions we all had for you in dealing with sausage/brat/kielbasa links:

Care / Prep
✔ Put the links in the fridge as soon as you get back from the store.
✔ Use them within 2 days or simply freeze them for future use.
✔ Eat cooked links within 4 days and put them in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking them.
✔ The internal temp of a cooked link should be above 165 F / 74 C. Use an instant thermometer.
✔ Never thaw frozen links on the counter. Fridge overnight, microwave or use a Hot Water Bath.
✔ Use a different cutting board for your veggies, never chop them on one where you've cut raw meat.

Cooking

✔ Use a medium or medium-low setting to prevent the casing from splitting open.
✔ NEVER boil a link, poach it instead. Bring the water to a boil, turn it down to simmer. Put the links in and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Boiling will cause the links to shed their casing. Make sure you turn them every 10 mins.
✔ Poach links before grilling. That insures that they are cooked, the grilling just adds flavor.
✔ Do NOT pierce the casing while cooking, as it lets all of the moisture out, causing them to be dry.
✔ If the casing does split, use tongs to remove the casing before serving.

Side Thoughts

✔ Poach the links, Spiral Cut them, marinade, then grill.
✔ Blood pudding (my FAVORITE breakfast side) is nothing more than sausage made with the addition of animal blood.
✔ The butcher offers ground (non-encased) versions of the meat that can be used like ground beef. This adds flavor to the dishes you make. Purchase it in bulk instead of just "ground beef."
✔ Serve on a steak bun, to allow room for the extra veggies you grilled.

Bottom line, save a bite or two to give to your dog... they'll appreciate it deeply...

Journey of the Hot Dog

WTF Casserole

It started by having dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in hot dogs. They have over 37 different ways that can be ordered. They come in "regular" size and "jumbo." I usually get the Old Yellar. But then I wanted some simple was for making hot dog meals in my own kitchen, in different ways beyond the "normal." I'm a little old school and keep a tablet and pen next to my computer and take copious notes. I don't know where some of this info originated, these were just the thoughts I jotted down.

Other than all of the traditional ways we've always prepared hot dogs, I only tended to use the WTF Casserole recipe that was jotted down on the back of an envelope in my recipe box. The first new way I tried a hot dog, was by using leftover mashed potatoes. Slit the cooked dog 7/8 of the way through along the length, and fill it with some leftover mashed potatoes (heated in the microwave). It actually was AWESOME. Next time I'll grab some leftover shredded cheese as a topping. I ate it rolled in a tortilla since I don't eat bread or buns.

But I came across a LOT more info that I scribbled in my notebook, and here is what I'll be endeavoring to bring the sensations of eating hot dogs this summer, to the forefront.

✔ Do NOT boil hot dogs. Bring water to a boiling point, turn to simmer. Put dogs in for 20 minutes. Check the temp of the dog with an instant thermometer, but do not boil them.
✔ Use a Dutch oven or stock pot with a steamer rack (like veggies) by bringing the water to a boil, turn to low, place the dogs in, cover tightly and steam for 5-7 minutes. Put the buns on top of them for the last 2 minutes or tortillas for the last 45 seconds.
✔ Grilling requires turning them every couple of minutes, just when they start to darken, but before they become burnt (unless you want them that way). Hot dogs basically have 4 sides to them, so turn them over after about 2 minutes per side. Which means it takes about 8 minutes to grill them.
✔ Over a true fire (when camping or using that fire pit) means dogs should be put OVER the flames or embers, but NOT in the flame itself.
✔ We marinate a steak and add a marinade to poultry, why not a hot dog? I did manage to jot down the URL of a marinade for Grilled Hot Dogs (click the link to go there, I'm not copying and pasting).

Spiral Cutting the Dog

✔ A link to the Why You Should Spiral-Cut Your Hot Dog for Grilling explains in a video an easy step, and provides some sound reasons why you should. I especially like the fact that the spiral cut prevents the relish and onions from sliding off and stops it from curling up at the ends.

Hmmmm....maybe I'll combine the last 2 points about marinating and spiral cutting into a single option of cutting first, THEN marinating... I'll keep you posted.