Steamed Burgers? We Call ’em “Corvinburgers”!

Greetings and salutations! That’s right folks, it’s Corvin again and guess what? We’re gonna make some steamed burgers! (The proper scientific name is Corvinburgers, but how could you have known that?)

I don’t know a lot of people, but the ones I do have often asked me how I make such delicious, juicy burgers. I keep telling them but apparently they are really forgetful so I decided to write it down once and for all so I don’t have to keep repeating myself. Be warned, though. They are a bit spicy!

Also, before you can even make them like I do you’ll want to visit our blog for my spice and marinade recipes.

So go ahead, read up on them and head on out to the grocery store. I can wait.

STEAMED BURGER RECIPE

Oh wow, you’re back already? I was just about to get into the bath. Lemme get my pants back on.

It should be noted that this tutorial is for making two steamed burgers only! If you plan on making a different amount you’ll need to figure out how much more or less ingredients you will be using. Okay? Good!

The first thing you’ll want to do is assemble all your necessary accouterments.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Ground beef or ground turkey patties
• A large frying pan with a lid (we like this one but whatever you have available should be fine). The important thing is that it has a lid. Even if you have to improvise and make one from the hood of your neighbor’s Mini Cooper it is imperative that you have a lid! We are making steamed burgers, not fried.
• A spatula
• Half an onion
• Burger buns
• A cookie sheet
• My famous marinade
• Corvin’s Quintessence Spice Rub
• Cheese, if you like that sort of thing

If you don’t have my special blend of spices handy you’ll just have to make do with what you have available, though if you had paid attention at the beginning of this article you wouldn’t be in this predicament. Either way I’m going to proceed as if you had paid attention. And of course, you’ll want whatever condiments you prefer when it’s eating time!

Okay, let’s go! First, prepare your patties. I often have frozen patties made up ahead of time. In fact, Jymi and I devised a plan where we freeze up a bunch of pre-spiced patties so when we want to have a quick meal we don’t have to deal with it and can get to cooking sooner. And yes, you can toss frozen patties right into the pan without thawing them out. They will thaw just fine in the pan.

Make your patties up, and give them a good coat of spice rub on each side. Now dice up half of your onion. I’ll say this a lot, I chop mine into rather small bits to get more flavor from them (more surface area = more flavor) and also because I am no fan of big onion chunks. At this point you can do one of two things: Either toss some of the onions (not all, save some out to put on top of the patties) into the pan, or you can mix a healthy handful into the sauce. Either way they’re gonna go into the pan so you decide how you wish to proceed. In this instance I simply tossed some into the pan.

Now throw down a couple healthy spoonfuls of marinade in the pan for a nice saucy bed for each patty.

Put the patties on the sauce glops and toss in the rest of your onions, making sure to get a healthy dose directly on the patties.

Use up the rest of the marinade to thoroughly slather the burgers.

Put the lid on your pan and turn on the heat to the lower end of medium. Steamed burgers need to cook low and slow. Since we are starting out with frozen patties it takes about 8 to 10 minutes before it’s time to flip. If you are starting with fresh patties I’d say give them no more than 7 minutes. You can kind of tell when it’s flippin’ time by the condensation on the lid (if you happen to have a glass lid, that is)

BUNS, BUNS, TOASTY BUNS

While your burgers are burnin’, you can prepare your buns. First put your broiler on high. Now grab your buns (tee-hee) and place them on the cookie sheet with the insides face-up. If they are frozen (like ours usually are) put them on a paper towel and zap them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until just soft. Put them on the top rack and check on them in about a minute or so. Depending on your oven and how brown you want them it should take no more than 2-4 minutes. I’m guessing you don’t want them carbonized so monitor them carefully. The ideal color is a nice, golden brown. Once they are done take them out of the oven and put them someplace they can cool without creating a nuisance.

Your steamed burgers should be just about ready to flip by now. Turn ’em over, give ’em a good squishing with your spatula, put the lid back on and let ’em go for another 5-6 minutes. During this time you can plate your buns (tee-hee). When it’s time, give them the ol’ flip ‘n’ squish again.

At this point I like to cut into one and inspect the color. Jymi and I like ours medium well, though a hint of pink is ok. You’ll want to use your own discretion and cook them to your liking. If you’re really paranoid you can use a meat thermometer and cook them to 160 degrees.

Once you’ve ascertained that the burgers are ready for consumption turn your burner down to its lowest setting and add your favorite cheese. I like to use shredded because it melts faster. Put the lid back on and and let it set for about a minute.

You’ll want to monitor the situation closely. You don’t want your cheese to get so melty it slides right off the burgers. Once it looks like a good consistency turn your burner off.

Now grab your plated buns (tee-hee). If you happen to have someone available to assist you in the transferring of the burgers to the buns that’s a bonus because they are drippy and very slippery, so take care that they don’t slide off the spatula onto a surface that you don’t intend them to be on. Why yes, I do speak from experience, why do you ask?

Alright! Now add your favorite condiments!

Go have a seat and enjoy a juicy burger that’s packed with so much flavor it should probably be against the law. Once you master the Corvinburger you’ll judge every and all restaurants on their burgers, and scoff at the grey, dry meat discs that most places serve up. Just kidding, I actually enjoy the burgers at many of my favorite establishment because they all have something unique to offer. Anyway, have a nice meal and if you fancy a delicious side dish try my fried taters!

Thanks for taking the Corvinburger journey with me, and if you like this check out our Facebook and Instagram pages and show us some love!