Wedding Burger

I took off my beautiful, sparkling wedding band because I didn't want it to get all dirty and beefy

We're calling this the wedding burger because it was the first dinner we made when we got back to our apartment as a married couple. (It is also two types of beef, so maybe it works that way, too.) Some very nice friends of ours got us the massive and awesome chopping block and a very scary cleaver. I love them! I was a little afraid to have a cleaver in the apartment just because it seems right out of a horror movie so now it's wrapped up tightly and hidden in a drawer until next time.

Ever since reading this article on the best burgers, I've wanted a cleaver and chopping block to make my own and test it out. It's definitely not the easiest, but it really only takes about 5 minutes to chop up all the meat. The end result is a very juicy burger with an amazing consistency that is more steak-like than burger-like, or a sort of mix of the two. From the chopping, the pieces aren't uniform, so you get this great bite and texture. Jamie can't wait to have friends over to show off our new burgers, and I can't wait to try again with different cuts of beef.

We used 3/4 chuck and 1/4 sirloin from Ottomanellis which was great, but I do want to try some different combinations just to experiment. The chuck had the nice marbled fat, the the sirloin added some tenderness. This is also a fabulous way to blow off steam, so if I ever have a bad day, Jamie will probably be getting burgers for dinner from now on!

Serves 2 (big burgers)
Ingredients
3/4 lb chuck (cold)
1/4 lb sirloin (cold)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the chuck and the sirloin on a thick cutting board or chopping block and chop them into a fine mince.

That is Jamie's masculine hand - he got jealous and had to try the chopping

Make sure they are cold when you start so that the fat doesn't melt and smear into the rest of the meat. (This makes it less juicy.)

If you've done them separately (the sirloin is a little easier because it's more tender), mix them together with the cleaver.

Form them into two patties. I made mine a little smaller than Jamie's, but feel free to be even! Or make little sliders instead. Don't form them too tightly, but make sure that they hold their form so they don't fall apart in the pan.

Salt and pepper the patties liberally. Heat a cast iron skillet until very, very hot. Put the burgers in and don't move them so they sear. Cook them to your desired level - we did about 3 minutes each side for medium rare.

Dress up with cheese, buns, onions, etc if you want, and eat!