USA: Connecticut - Steamed Cheeseburgers

 

In Meriden, Connecticut the steamed cheeseburger was born when a food cart selling steamed cheese sandwiches added a beef patty. I must admit I didn't think these burgers would turn out very well. I expected the burger would be too soft from being only steamed to cook it. I was wrong!

Ingredients:

500g minced beef

6 cheese slices

salt & pepper

burger toppings of choice

Squish up the minced beef and form into 6 good sized patties.

Season the burgers on both sides with salt and pepper. Boil some water (about 2 cups) and put it in a frying pan on a high heat. Place a grill (we used the grill from our firepit) on top and place the burgers on it as the water starts to steam.

A lot of the fat drips out into the water which makes them a bit healthier. Cover the burgers with a lid if you have one or some foil. I used both as the lid wasn't quite big enough. I steamed the burgers for about 8 minutes each side and then put a cheese slice on each burger and covered again for 2-3 minutes. JD checked the burgers with the meat thermometer since we were unsure of this cooking method, but they were fine.

We ate ours with just some sliced onions on top and they were great! Perfectly cooked and very similar in texture to a fried burger. I was really surprised by this cooking method. I feel they were more moist than usual too. JD really likes these cheap cheese slices and they did melt well on the burgers. Overall, I'm basically amazed how well they worked being steamed to produce delicious, healthier burgers!