Eat your heart out!
Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day and I’ve been planning our special meal for about a week now. We’re staying home and cooking dinner and will probably watch a movie or play video games together afterward. I’m looking forward to a quiet evening at home.
Much of the menu is still up in the air as I write this post, but one thing is for sure… Beef heart burgers will be making an appearance at our table!
We’ve been making jokes/puns about hearts for a few days now. Such as the one with which I began this post and other cheesy lines. We’re very amused at the idea of eating a heart while we celebrate the occasion. Some friends have told me it’s morbid. Others have laughed at the irony of the meal. I hope you find this post amusing!
I’m very excited to feature these burgers as well because they are something that Bryan and I worked on making together. We rarely spend time together in the kitchen! Because it’s a messy job and we were making a large batch of burgers, I enlisted his help.
I mixed, portioned, and pressed the burgers. Bryan kept my workspace clean, wrapped the burger patties, sorted them into perfect portions for freezing, and fended off a curious kitty who wanted to see what we were up to. I was very glad for the help!
Of course, we had to cook two burgers immediately to make sure they were as delicious as they looked. We topped the burgers with a slice of cheddar cheese and an egg, cooked over-easy. They were delicious! (We made the burgers about a week ago and only have about 6 left in the freezer)
What will you be doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Peppery Beef Heart Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 beef heart (about 1.9 kg), ground – approximate cost $12.00
- 0.9 kg of fatty beef brisket, ground – approximate cost $10.00
- 5 teaspoons finely ground sea salt – approximate cost $0.25
- 2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper – approximate cost $0.10
- 12 hamburger buns – approximate cost $3.00
- Grapeseed oil for cooking – approximate cost $0.25
Optional toppings
- Egg (cooked over-easy)
- Cheddar cheese
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Barbecue sauce
- Guacamole
- Bacon
- Sweet onion
- Mushrooms
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Dill pickle
- Lettuce
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Work with your hands until the ingredients are well-mixed.
- Divide the meat into approximately ½ pound portions (12 burgers).
- Use your hands to shape each portion into a very large, tightly-packed meatball.
- Press the meatballs into burgers (you can use your hands or a burger press).
- Keep the burgers separate by placing a piece of waxed paper between each patty.
- Preheat a frying pan with a small amount of grapeseed oil over medium heat.
- Place burger patties in the frying pan (being careful not to overcrowd the pan).
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes.
- Flip the burger patty.
- Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes (or until cooked to desired done-ness, my burgers were medium, with a very small amount of pink still in the center of the burger).
- Serve on a bun with desired toppings.
Makes 12 servings (approximate cost: $2.13 per serving + optional topping).
We’ve had these burgers a few times already and it’s gone well with all of our favourite toppings. Bryan’s favourite set of toppings was an egg – over easy – and a slice of cheddar. Mine is guacamole and a slice of bacon.
These burgers are VERY filling and just one is enough even for those with a hearty appetite. I’ve yet to finish an entire burger myself (but got very close).
Wednesday Link Parties
- What’s Cooking Wednesday (hosted by Turning The Clock Back, and Confessions of an Overworked Mom)
- Whole Foods Wednesday (hosted by Katie from This Chick Cooks)
mjskit
/ February 14, 2013What an absolutely clever idea! It doesn’t sound morbid at all. It sounds pretty delicious to me! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Eva Taylor
/ February 14, 2013My honey is making me a fresh seared tuna Niçoisse salad, he will encrust the tuna with sesame seeds and it will be rare! I can hardly wait. Did the heart burgers have a chewy texture? I’ve had heart before but have always found it rather chewy. Happy Valentine’s Day to you too! Hope Bryan spoils you!
Sophie33
/ February 21, 2013Waw! the burgers look splendid & amazing too!