Brie & Berry Burger

Isn't she lovely... isn't she beautiful! This burger quickly became my favorite burger of all time with the combination of a perfectly cooked burger with brie and a delicious berry sauce.

She's elegant without being pretentious; she's sophisticated without being stuffy; she's classy without being snobby; she's simply the best burger ever!  Can you tell I'm serious about this girl? I am... and I don't get too excited over burgers, usually. In fact, I can take them or leave them. It's my husband who absolutely loves a good burger, however I'm in love with this burger!

What to Serve with this Brie & Berry Burger

While the flavors in this burger are a bit unusual, it stills goes great with these favorites!

What are the Best Buns for a Hamburger?

Over the years, I've realized that a good burger (no matter what toppings you use) must have two key elements: the perfect bun and the perfect meat blend. About a year ago, we mastered the meat blend (I will be sharing this with you!)... but finding the perfect bun was an elusive and frustrating endeavor.

The perfect bun has to be: the right size for the patty; soft enough to bite, but not so soft it falls apart; and the density has to be just right. When I tell you I've tried EVERY kind of bun I can find locally... I mean I've tried EVERY kind of bun that I can find locally and none of them has been perfect. I've even made a few versions myself and they were better, but not the best... UNTIL I found this recipe! Light Brioche Hamburger Buns by the Clever Carrot.

Even if you've never made bread or rolls before, you can make these Light Brioche Hamburger Buns! The instructions are easy to follow and the result is... well, the BEST hamburger bun EVER!

What is the Best Blend of Beef for a Burger?

Sure, you can go to your local supermarket and buy ground beef. You can even upgrade and buy the super fancy (and expensive) stuff... but, you can also grind it yourself very easily and there is nothing like freshly ground beef to make your hamburgers with!

We've done some experimenting and found that we like to use three different cuts of beef to make our ground beef. Fat is an important factor in making the best possible ground beef, so I like to use a super fatty cut like short ribs for ⅓ of the blend. The blend we used this time: 1.78 lbs of Beef Chuck Short Ribs, 1.05 lbs of Petite Sirloin, and 1.28 lbs Beef Chuck Country Style Ribs Boneless. Our cost was $24.22 and we yielded 3.66 lbs of ground beef. That's about $6.62 per pound. Not too bad! In our area 80/20 ground beef can run over $6.00 per pound!

Here's how we do it!

If you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer get the grinder attachment. You can find it on Amazon for only $39.00! It's money worth spending in my opinion. We've made homemade sausage, ground pork, ground chicken (this saves tons of money), and of course the BEST burger blend! If you don't have a Kitchen Aide Mixer, you can find some reasonable priced electric meat grinders on Amazon.

*When I grind meat using my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment, I use the large dye first to get a large grind and then run the ground meat back through using the smaller dye.

Cut the meat off of the bone and cut it into pieces that will fit through the tube of your grinder. Turn the mixer on low (I use the first setting) and feed the meat through the top, using the plunger (that comes with the attachment or machine) to push the meat down. Then the magic starts to happen! I get excited every time I see the meat coming out the other end! I can't help it... I'm strange that way!

As you grind the different cuts of beef, you'll see the short ribs are very fatty. This is a good thing... well maybe not health-wise, but definitely taste-wise! I always say, if you're going to do it... do it right!

The fat will not only improve the taste (the burger doesn't taste fatty), it also helps to keep the burger moist. One you run all the meat through the large dye, switch to the smaller dye and run it through again. Voilà! You have the most beautiful bowl of freshly ground beef you could ever ask for!

Did you know that in the 70's, the hip hors d'oeuvre was serving ground beef with crackers? I'm talking supermarket ground beef! That was the beef tartare of the 70's. See... grind your own, please!

Brie & Berry Burger Time!

Or I should say, Yum Yum time! When you are ready to make your burger, take the meat out of the fridge and form your patties. I use a nifty little gadget from Pampered Chef.

(affiliate link)The Burger and Slider Press works great to make perfectly formed patties (either full-size or slider-size), but hand forming works too! Just be sure to make them flat with a slight depression in the middle so they don't puff up like balls. Season each patty with salt and pepper on both sides. Notice we didn't add salt and pepper to the ground beef mixture; the best way to season your hamburgers is on the outside!

Don't believe me? I get it. I didn't believe it either and always added the seasoning into the ground beef before forming the patties. Then, I tried it "their" way, "their" being the professionals! Never again will I add seasoning into the ground beef unless I'm making meatloaf. Try it... I bet you won't either!

To make the burgers you will need:

• Ground Beef (if not grinding your own, buy the best quality 80/20 or ask the butcher to grind it for you)
• Raspberries and Blackberries
• Butter Lettuce
• Red Onion
• Brie
• Honey
• Salt & Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• A good quality hamburger bun (you won't be sorry if you make the recipe by the Clever Carrot!)

While the formed burgers come to room temperature (this is important for even cooking), place your rinsed berries in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon of honey and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional). I love adding a spicy component to offset the sweet of the fruit and honey. Cook for about 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally. You want some of the berries to stay whole while creating a sauce, so don't break them up or over-stir.  If you are using an outdoor grill, heat it up now. Cut the rind off of the Brie.

If using a indoor grill pan (that's what I used because Spring has not hit Maryland yet!), heat it on medium. You want the pan very hot, but not quite smoking to sear those delicious burgers without burning them.

This recipe would work perfectly on the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill. I would heat on max grill and cook the burgers on medium or high grill until they are done to your liking.

The trick to getting perfect grill marks: place your burger in a hot (but not quite smoking) grill pan. Leave it there for about two minutes. Turn it ¼ turn in either direction and leave the burger alone for two more minutes. Flip and repeat. We like our burgers medium rare, so this 8 minute cook works perfectly when we cook 8 ounce burgers that are formed with my handy dandy gadget.

Add the brie to the top of each burger during the last 2 minutes of cooking and you can cover with a dome during the resting period if desired.

When your burgers are done, let them rest at least 5 minutes. This gives you time to get your bun ready for the deliciousness that awaits it. Take your burger to the next level and grill your bun! Place your bun in the grill pan for just a minute or two and you'll have beautiful grill marks on your bun.

Assembly & Eating Time!

Take your freshly grilled bun and coat it, top and bottom, with honey. I used about ½ tablespoon for each bun. Place butter lettuce and red onion slice on the bottom. Top with burger. Spoon the berry mixture on top. Close bun. Devour!