A Black and Blue Burger is a break from the norm. Easy to prepare and cook, these Burgers will be crowd pleasers. A true Black and Blue Burger will have a savory, salty, earthy flavor with a blackened crust.
Mix your favorite blue cheese into ground beef, form a patty and then cover in zesty blackening seasoning to form a crust. Served on your favorite choice of bun with your favorite burger accompaniments, this recipe includes a few of my favorite things and hopefully yours too!
These hefty Burgers weigh in at a pre cooked weight of 6 oz, 5 oz of beef combined with 1 oz of blue cheese.
Ingredients
- Ground beef: store bought 80/20 blend,(80% meat muscle and 20% fat), preferably grass fed. Choosing a leaner blend will yield a drier burger. I ground some top sirloin, I made sure to include a lot of hard white inter muscular fat.
- Tomato.
- Onion: preferably red.
- Lettuce: romaine.
- Blue cheese: I used Cashel Blue Irish cheese.
- Blackening seasoning: I used my own Blackening Seasoning recipe.
- Buns.
- Butter.
Instructions
Put the ground beef and slices of blue cheese in a bowl.
Crumble and break up the cheese and mix in well to the ground beef.
Divide the mixture into 4 quarters and take the meat from 1 quarter. Between your hands form a tight ball with no cracks or air pockets.
Take this ball and flatten between your fingers, ensuring there are no cracks or ragged edges. Form beef patties that are slightly larger than the bun diameter.
Spoon on the blackening seasoning. Push the seasoning into the surface of the meat to help it adhere.
Continue to spoon the seasoning onto both sides of each burger.
If using lean meat (fat content is less than 20%), then add 1 tbsp of oil to a frying pan. My burgers had a relatively high fat content, so I was able to place them directly into a preheated frying pan. Fry the Burger patties on both sides and remove them from the pan once 160 degrees F. has been reached.
When the Burgers are frying, prepare the vegetables. Wash and slice the tomato, peel and slice the onion, and wash the lettuce leaves. Finally, toast the buns and butter them.
Flexibility
Buying ground beef with a lower fat content than 20% is fine but the burgers might be a little drier. Feel free to add some chopped up bacon fat to the raw mix. Ground pork or sausage can be added to the beef but I would not use solely pork or sausage for this recipe.
A store bought blackening seasoning is an alternate to making your own.
There are a variety of blue cheeses that can be used. I used an Irish Cashel Blue cheese which is mild, creamy and less salty than most other blue cheeses. English Stilton is a great option and Maytag Blue in the States works well too. I would avoid using really expensive blue cheeses because as it is an ingredient, its flavor competes with the savoriness of the seasoned cooked beef. It just seems a waste – rather enjoy a high end blue cheese with some crackers, exotic fruits and a nice glass of wine instead!
Serve your Black and Blue Burger however you would like. Use any type of larger tomato like Romas or beefsteak, yellow, white or sweet onions and lettuce of your choice. The same goes for burger buns. Use smaller buns if you want to make sliders.
Black and Blue Burgers can be cooked on a grill, griddle or cast iron skillet. I chose a large frying pan.
Uses for Black and Blue Burger
This Burger should be a staple burger during summer get togethers and BBQs. Consider serving Smoked Baked Beans and Air Fryer Potatoes to complete the meal.
Storage
Store Burger patties in an airtight container separately from the other ingredients. Reheat them in an air fryer, pan or microwave. Store salad ingredients also in an airtight container and assemble the burger once the patty has been reheated. Consume within 3 days.
Freeze burger patties for up to 6 months. Separate them with wax or parchment paper and place in a freezer bag. Individual burger patties can be defrosted one at a time, or as needed.
Drink Recommendation When Eating Black and Blue Burger
I recommend a cold beer to compliment the flavor of salty blue cheese, hearty beef and spicy seasoning crust. Beer choices include a Belgian style Trappist beer such as Chimay, or Delirium Tremens, or Duvel. These beers provide enough hoppiness without being overbearing, along with a slight bitterness and a little effervescence.
A Tip From Me
When making homemade meat patties for burgers, make sure to roll each portion of meat into a tight, smooth ball between the palms of your hands. This will eliminate any air pockets. Then flatten the patty out evenly, making sure there are no cracks. Use your fingers to get rid of any ragged edges on the patties and to continue to shape the them. Eyeball the diameter of the patty compared with the diameter of the bun you are using. Make sure the burger diameter is larger than the bun by about an inch. The Black and Blue Burger will shrink during cooking, which is typical of all burgers. It should fit the bun exactly after cooking. This ensures every bite includes the Burger patty.
Got Questions
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
- Why not put slices of blue cheese in the center of the burger, instead of crumbling the cheese into the ground beef? Good question. I have tried doing this and made a couple of observations. First of all, the center of the burger took longer to reach 160 degrees F., the temperature recommended by the USDA. This prolonged cooking dried the burger out a bit. Secondly, I found the blue cheese flavor overly intensive due to the high concentration of it. I therefore recommend spreading the savory salty flavor of the blue cheese evenly throughout the burger patty.
- Can these Black and Blue Burgers be grilled? Yes, instead of pan frying they can indeed be grilled. Place the prepared patties on a pre heated BBQ grill and cook until the patties reach 160 degrees F.
- How do I prevent my burgers from falling apart? There are a few rules to cook by to stop burgers from breaking into pieces. Firstly, when forming the burgers during the prep stage, do not overwork it. Form the ball, flatten into patties, then coat in blackening seasoning. Secondly, make sure the grill or pan is preheated. If pan frying, add the oil and test its temperature using a small piece of bread. If it sizzles, the oil is hot and the patties can be placed into the pan. Thirdly, do not lower your cooking temperature, maintain a medium / high heat during cooking. Fourthly, do not be tempted to turn the patty too soon. Allow the protein in the patty to coagulate. How will you know? By the meat shrinking on the side it is being cooked. Once you see this, flip the patty. Follow these simple instructions and your burger patties should remain in tact.
Food Safety
The USDA has guidelines as to how to handle raw ground beef. More information can be found here.
Black and Blue Burger
Ingredients
- 1½ lb ground beef 20 oz of meat
- 4 oz blue cheese of choice
- 4 tbsp blackening seasoning
- 4 burger buns
- 4 leaves lettuce romaine or bibb work best.
- 1 tomato
- 1 small red onion
Instructions
- Put the ground beef and slices of blue cheese in a bowl.
- Crumble and break up the cheese and mix in well to the ground beef.
- Divide the mixture into 4 quarters and take the meat from 1 quarter. Between your hands form a tight ball with no cracks or air pockets.
- Take this ball and flatten between your fingers, ensuring there are no cracks or ragged edges. Form beef patties that are slightly larger than the bun diameter.
- Spoon on the blackening seasoning. Push the seasoning into the surface of the meat to help it adhere.
- Continue to spoon the seasoning onto both sides of each burger.
- If using lean meat (fat content is less than 20%), then add 1 tbsp of oil to a frying pan. My burgers had a relatively high fat content, so I was able to place them directly into a preheated frying pan. Fry the Burger patties on both sides and remove them from the pan once 160 degrees F. has been reached.
- When the Burgers are frying, prepare the vegetables. Wash and slice the tomato, peel and slice the onion, and wash the lettuce leaves. Finally, toast the buns and butter them.
Comments