Rethinking the Burger

[Tom from Raleigh]

Is a tasty off the wall "burger" possible? I'm thinking beef heart for lean, pork belly for fat, and I'm not sure what else...maybe brisket or another off cut. I believe I need three meats to fill out the profile. Heart can be minerally and belly is of course rather fatty. I'm not sure what I'd do with this, I just want to create something interesting that's unique...

There are no limits as to type of protein. It could even be a non-meat...

Anyone up for a creative challenge?

[ursy_ten]

I've never tried beef heart - that would be interesting! Masterchef Australia had a burger challenge, one of the contestants came up with a duck and pork burger that the judges raved about - I tried to find more info on it but the site is now following their current season, which is junior masterchef.

[ipsedixit]

That's not a burger.

It's a meatloaf. Which is fine, but just don't call it a burger.

[ursy_ten]

If you make it into a pattie and put it in a bun, won't that make it a burger?

[mamachef]

Those were my thoughts. I was under the impression that meatloaf contained, at the minimum, a starch binder and some egg. What I described was a ground-meat blend that could be transformed into a burger. Or a meatloaf. But in it's raw, unadulterated state, it's not meatloaf, by definition. But opinions are like meatloaves....everyone's got a recipe!!

[Tom from Raleigh]

As far as I'm concerned, if you grind it and form it into a patty, it's a burger. If you grind meat and form it into a loaf shape then it's meat loaf, unless you decide to make a pate out of it...

[mamachef]

With the profile you've indicated, I'd go with calves' liver for the lean, another third fairly fatty ground lamb, and the final third beef cheeks.