PUTTING THE "HAM" IN HAMBURGER

Why's it called a hamburger if there's no ham in it? Today, we had some family coming over, so we decided to make a hamburger that actually had something to do with ham. I chose to grind the meat myself to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. The pink ground meat at the store has all the fat smeared into it, and just can't compete with properly ground, fresh meat. When the store ground meat is cooked, all the fat drips right out of it, but home ground meat retains its moisture because the fat is in tiny chunks that can hold on.

I used about 5.25 pounds of chuck roast to 1.25 pounds of pork shoulder, along with 3 Tbls Seasoned Salt, 2 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce, and 2 Tbls Fresh garlic.

I diced all the meat, mixed in the seasonings, and put it in the freezer for two hours to firm up for grinding. The time in the freezer is essential because it allows the grinder to cut the meat, rather than smash and tear it. After grinding, I mixed the meat a bit with the paddle attachment of my mixer, divided it into 1/2 pound balls, and got to patty making.

I broke each ball in half, folded a slice of american cheese (no other cheese can achieve quite the same liquidy texture as good old american), and sandwiched it inside the middle of each patty.

Here they are completed, with their secret cargoes of cheese...

Then, it was off to the barbecue to cook over medium indirect heat for around 30 minutes. These burgers were so thick that, had I cooked them over the coals, they would have burned on the outside, but been raw in the center. I moved the patties around carefully to make sure that they all got the right amount of heat and browning.

Here are the hammies right after being flipped. As the cheese in the center of each patty begins to melt, it liquifies, seeps through every nook and cranny of the meat, and comes oozing out like lava from heaven.

I topped the patties with more cheese and cooked them to a final temperature of about 160F.

We served the patties with bacon, avocado, and all the usual fixuns...

I think these were the best burger patties I have ever made. I'm definitely a fan of the porky hamburger, and will not be going back to the all beef patty if I have any choice in the matter. The meat just had a great flavor to it that you can't get with beef alone. 

The only thing I would change is the cheese. I thought that american would be perfect since it would liquefy so well, which it did, but something about american cheese with such a premium patty was not quite right. These things deserve a higher class of cheese... possibly something a little milder that will give some nice creaminess, but not mask the taste of the meat too much. .. maybe a gouda or a brie? Anyhew, the american was delicious in its own way, and I have no regrets.

These patties were a hit, and I plan on fine tuning them a bit, but I think I've finally got the burger I've been looking for... all I needed to do was put back the ham.