Thai Burgers

[Loquitur]

Here are my Thai burgers - which I made for a dinner with my Mom. I used the lower grill instead of the sear grill because they were on the small side and I needed to cook them through without burning them up since they're made with ground pork. The grill was pretty hot – hotter than I intended. But I’m the only one who does any cooking around here and my kitchen is a long way from my patio so it got away from me a little while I was working on other things.

I put a thin coating of veg oil on the burgers and also used a brush with peanut oil to oil the grate just before I put them on. The bristles on the brush curled up, kind of like Dennis' eyebrows from the recent flash! I was able to turn them without them pulling apart but it took some time to wiggle my spatula under them. I'm anticipating making big old grass fed beef burgers for my husband and I on the sear grill, crispy on the outside and rare on the inside. Is there a trick to oiling a really hot grill so that burgers will turn easily? Even though I have elbow high welding gloves, getting a spatula under a burger on the sear grill that close to the flame sounds like it might be tough. Maybe I should oil the grate before it gets so hot? I thought the rule was hot pan/cold oil for non stick properties so I was thinking the hotter the better.

Here is the recipe. I wish I could claim it as my own but it’s actually a slight variation of the recipe for a burger which won a $10,000 prize as the Alternative Meat Winner in one of the Build a Better Burger contests. The original recipe called for star anise in the pork mixture, and had a topping of mayonnaise mixed with lime juice, cilantro and Thai basil. I prefer to top it with ready made Thai sweet chili dipping sauce that I buy in an Oriental grocery. Makes 4-6 burgers.

2 lbs ground pork

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)

1/4 cup peanut butter

4 t palm sugar or brown sugar

3 cloves garlic

1" piece of ginger

2 hot garden peppers or hot sauce to taste

Thai sweet chili dipping sauce

Lettuce

4-6 rolls

Mix peanut butter, fish sauce, and sugar in small bowl with a fork. This mixes easier if the peanut butter softens in the mixture a while. Place hot peppers, garlic and ginger in a small food processor and chop finely. Add chopped veg and the peanut butter mixture to the ground pork and gently combine with a fork. Form burgers and place on saran wrap or foil. Handle them as little as possible since they will be sticky. Grill burgers to 135 or to taste. Toast rolls. Assemble with lettuce and Thai sweet chili dipping sauce as a topping.

Note: If you have not cooked with fish sauce before, don't be put off by the smell. It truly stinks!! But it is delicious and an essential ingredient of Thai cooking.

[Sanny]

Re: Thai Burgers

I put a thin coating of veg oil on the burgers and also used a brush with peanut oil to oil the grate just before I put them on. The bristles on the brush curled up' date=' kind of like Dennis' eyebrows from the recent flash! ... Is there a trick to oiling a really hot grill so that burgers will turn easily? [/quote']

Try using a paper towel or cloth, wadded up and dipped in the oil. Use tongs to run it across the grill grates. I used to keep a cloth just for the purpose. It won't curl up the way your brush bristles did.

I thought hot grill, too. Might need to make a couple of applications of the oil, so you get a non-stick coating. Sort of like you season a cast iron pan.

At least that's what I've seen Steve Raichlen do on his PBS show. (HATE his delivery... Pauses in the wrong places, goofy pronunciations...)

[Firemonkey]

Yep...what she said.

I roll up a rag and tie it with kitchen twine so it stays in a nice tight roll. Then i keep it in the smallest rubbermaid container (barely bigger than a yogurt cup) that is half full of oil. When its time to oil the grates, just grab it with tongs and wipe them down. Keep it in the fridge when not in use, and replace the rag when it gets worn out (months)

[DennisLinkletter]

I used to use Pam spray on olive oil..

Yep...what she said.

I roll up a rag and tie it with kitchen twine so it stays in a nice tight roll. Then i keep it in the smallest rubbermaid container (barely bigger than a yogurt cup) that is half full of oil. When its time to oil the grates, just grab it with tongs and wipe them down. Keep it in the fridge when not in use, and replace the rag when it gets worn out (months)

I adopted Fm's rolled and tied airplane towel stored in tupperware trick and am very happy with the thickness of the oil on the grills.. I use regular olive oil which is a bit thicker.. Before that I used to use Pam spray on olive oil.. It's also an easy and fast way to oil up a grill but expect a bit of flare up from the overspray..

[Loquitur]

Sanny, Firemonkey and Dennis - sounds easy and effective. Thank you, thank you, thank you

PS I haven't seen Raichlen in a while, Sanny, but I'd know that voice anywhere!