5 Delicious & Totally Unique Burger Recipes for the Grill
It’s soon to be summer and that means more alfresco dining and time to fire up the grill! To be honest though, after moving to the suburbs and having a grill of our own we’ve been dining out pretty much every night it’s not raining or below 50 degrees.
There is some concern about carcinogens and cancer risk with grilling that’s not without warrant as proteins and sugars in meat when grilled at high temperatures will product heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which can cause DNA damage and have been linked to various cancers.
So if you love that grill like we do but want to be smart about the impact it can have on your health, you can make grilling a bit safer by bolstering your meal with antioxidants and not over doing it.
Keep the char to a minimum in general (i.e. burgers, steaks, chicken, shrimp, kebabs)
marinate in acidic marinades (vinegar or citrus) to decrease the sear on things like chicken, fish and shrimp
Serve that grilled meat with loads of veggies and fresh or dry herbs for detox and antioxidant support. Think tomato and fresh basil for a capresse type salad, include lots of garlic and onions and use fresh herbs in your salad dressing.
This is an absolute fav of mine from Hangry:
Lemon Vinaigrette *Keeps well in the refrigerator up to 6 months, do not freeze.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil Juice from 1 lemon 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or to taste 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
Sea salt and black pepper to taste 1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until well blended.
You can also serve up fresh, raw veggies and use this amazing garlic and lemon dip (which can be a salad dressing as well, we literally put this stuff on everything)
5 Better Burger Recipes
We love grilled chicken thighs and of course a great steak is always welcome around here, but not much beats burgers! Easy, crowd pleasing and if it’s just us I always make 2 lbs of burgers because a burger is a favorite breakfast and lunch around here so we gotta have those leftovers! You can of course double or half this recipe if it works better for you and your family.
Here are 5 of my favorite totally different burger recipes:
Greek Burger
- 2lbs ground lamb
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, dried oregano, dried dill, salt and black pepper
- Form into patties and grill to internal temp of 145
These burgers are great topped with a thick slice of tomato, green bell pepper and thin sliced cucumber – or simply wrapped in a lettuce leaf! I serve this with a big green salad dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil and plenty of oregano. If you’re not sensitive to dairy by all means add a thick slice of feta to that burger and make a yummy Taziki sauce for some sliced cucumbers or a dollop on the lamb burger.
Melt In Your Mouth Turkey Pepper Burgers
- 2 lbs ground dark or light meat turkey
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, salt and black pepper
- *If you have a poultry seasoning blend or 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s 1-2 tsp of that is a great, easy seasoning as well.
Sautee ½ yellow onion and half a yellow and red pepper, all finely diced in 1tsp olive oil. Let cool and add to ground meat mix.
Turkey burgers are often very dry and can be rubbery, thus they have never been a fav. However, adding a tbsp. of olive oil to the ground meat mix is a big help OR if you’re up for a real treat put a pat of butter or 1tsp ghee inside each patty. This is a bit indulgent but it’s pretty incredible and you may never think turkey burgers are too dry again!
Grill until internal temp reaches 165
Great wrapped in butterleaf or Tropicana green leaf lettuce or serve with a big green salad. Dice up the rest of those peppers and add a bunch of chopped scallions or diced red onion, dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum.
Thai Green Curry Chicken Burger
This is an adaptation from a recipe from my first book, Ultimate You which was a Green Curry Meatloaf which is the biggest crowd pleaser ever! It’s not overly spicy and it’s very unique and chock full of healthy fats and antioxidant fresh herbs.
First, make the green curry sauce:
In medium sauce pan combine 1 can coconut milk, 1 tsp green curry paste (or more to taste) and the juice of one lime; simmer about 15 minutes( until liquid thickens and reduces to about 2/3 cup). Set aside and let cool.
In large mixing bowl, add juice of another lime and ½ cup each: chopped finely fresh basil, finely chopped fresh cilantro, finely chopped unsalted peanuts or cashews and 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened).
Now, add 3 lbs ground meat (chicken or pork) and 2 tsp sea salt. If you like it spicy add 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes. If you use chicken vs. pork add 2 tbsp coconut, avocado or olive oil along with 2 tsp sea salt
Next, stir in half of the cooled coconut milk mixture. You don’t want this mix overly wet so see how half this mixture looks and add a bit more if needed. When making this into meatloaf use the full amount of coconut curry mix and bake at 350 for 30 minute or until chicken is completely cooked.
Grill to intenal temptrmp of 165
Serve with a green salad, sliced cucumbers or a quick Asian inspired cabbage slaw. I use cabbage or broccoli slaw, lime juice, coconut aminos, drizzle of olive oil and a bit of sesame oil and season with garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper and a few sesame seeds. I usually throw in chopped scallions, cilantro and maybe a few cashews or peanuts.
Best Basic Burger
- 2 lbs grass fed beef or bison
- 1 tbsp Montreal or other steak seasoning blend (Montreal seasoning is my hubby’s secret ingredient…shhhh don’t tell him I put it in a blog!)
- Saute 2 cloves garlic and one half yellow onion in 1 tsp olive oil, let cool and mix into ground meat mixture
I love, love, love a good burger with a lettuce wrap but don’t forget those classic toppings like a thick slice of a ripe beefsteak tomato, dill pickle slices and maybe a dollop of Sir Kensington’s avocado oil mayo or TesseMae’s Habenero mayo. If you love ketchup on a burger, Sir Kensington’s is my fav as it has no high fructose corn syrup.
Pork & Apple Burger
This is a slight alteration of Pork & Apple Sliders from Sarah Fragoso, one of my fav recipe of one of my fav people.
In 1 tsp of olive oil, Saute up 2 cloves of garlic and half of of a yellow onion, finely diced. Let cool while you mix up:
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 1 apple, finely diced (my fav is a Pink Lady apple)
- 1 tsp each salt, black pepper, parsley and smoked paprika
Add the cooled onion and garlic mix to the ground meat and spices and form into patties. Grill to internal temp of 145.
Another great burger for a lettuce wrap and my fav addition is a dollop spicy chipotle mayo. I usually serve this with a simple coleslaw of shredded cabbage, chopped scallions and ½ cup cilantro leaves, juice of a lime and olive oil and seasoned with 1 tsp each cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt.