The Ultimate Beef Burger Recipe

The Healthiest PALEO Burger Recipe

In this article, I will be sharing my favorite beef burger recipe. I have been optimizing and tweaking, which I can proudly say hits the spot.

A burger can be a great budget-friendly and nutrient-dense meal. I love a burger - juicy, protein-dense, and also very adaptable with flavor combinations you can include. This recipe is meal prep friendly - meaning you can make a batch of these and have them for the week ahead with a salad or smashed avocado.

WHAT MAKES A HEALTHY BURGER?

A good burger, in my opinion, is about the quality of the meat, the correct fat percentage, and the cooking.

As ground (minced) beef is more budget-friendly than prime cuts, choosing grass-fed is more appealing. Ground beef typically is a mixture of trimmings and offcuts. Ground beef usually contains more fat as a result. Opting for grass-fed is more advantageous for your health and taste to get that unique grassy, beta carotene-rich flavor.

To make a great-tasting burger is enough fat to melt into the protein, keep it moist and when you bite into it, moisturize your lips similar to lip balm. It doesn’t need to be extremely fatty, resulting in excess fat being rendered on the pan and the extra calories.

ADDING FLAVOUR TO YOUR PALEO BURGER

Next up, adding some flavour with the addition of complimentary enhancers. These would include olives, sundried tomatoes, onions, garlic, capers, horseradish, cheese, bacon, fresh herbs, spices, salt, and other quirky options like pineapple or apple in some cases, such as pork or turkey.

The caveat with the complimentary options is they need to work with the meat. Such as Beef with horseradish. Pork with apples. Lamb with feta or olives. Turkey with tarragon or pineapple.

BURGER SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Whether you want to add carbs to the burger or keep it lighter and lower carbs will vary on what to serve alongside. For this recipe, at the time and in general, I opt for a reasonably low carb intake 90% of the time.

I enjoy having ripe and juicy tomatoes with fresh cucumbers and herbs with either a cheese or avocado. Add in some fresh lemon juice or balsamic or apple cider vinegar, and you are good to go.

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: THE BUNLESS BURGER

With the lower carb option - it automatically voids the bun. I am making it a gluten-free choice without the bread and grains. Additionally, I am not a fan of gluten-free options for the most part. It typically has a suspect and high lectin and oxalate containing ingredients such as almond flour and rice flour.

Suppose you did want something wrapped around the burger; try using thick lettuce such as romaine lettuce or a baby gem lettuce. Alternatively, want more protein and fat, you can try rising a bacon wrap.

HOW TO COOK THE ULTIMATE PALEO BURGER

There is no right or wrong way. If you only have a grill or stovetop, then that is fine. However, suppose you want the best way to cook these ultimate burgers. In that case, I prefer a combination effect of using a griddle pan and then transferring it to an oven to cook through to prevent excess charring heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be problematic with red meat due to its heme-iron content, especially when using a direct pan and using oils as the heat transfer agent correlated with associated with a higher risk of cancer.

Using the ultimate beef burger recipe using a marinade or added herbs and species can offer protection and reduce potential DNA damage. (1)

THE SECRET INGREDIENT FOR ME ULTIMATE BEEF BURGER

Using black garlic in the ultimate paleo beef burger recipe is a game changer. Black garlic is a forgotten superfood with surprising health benefits and tastes fantastic.

If you have not tried it, it’s well worth it. Most places I have visited in the last 12 months have stocked black garlic. The additional perk of black garlic is that it doesn’t require any cooking making it easy for those who hate peeling and then chopping garlic.

Black garlic is fermented raw garlic (Allium sativum), which occurs via either the Millard creation using temperatures of 60-90c and humidity for a while. Various fermentation methods create slightly different variables in the end product and nutritional compounds.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLACK GARLIC

Black garlic has been shown to have higher water-soluble antioxidant sulfur compounds such as s-allyl cysteine, s-allyl mercapto cysteine, organosulfur compounds, and polyphenols. Additionally, the bioactive compounds above have been shown to have a broad range of biological activities in health optimization and prevention.

Most of these benefits can be attributed to anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, hepatoprotection, hypolipidemia, anti-cancer, anti-allergy, immunomodulation, nephroprotection, cardiovascular disease protection, and neuroprotection.

Plant foods have a symbiotic relationship with human health. They have been used for centuries for their therapeutic health preventive purposes. I classify black garlic as a critical functional food that packs a punch with micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), fiber, and bioactive compounds.

Garlic is a common ingredient and food staple globally, although its popularity and use have been declining. In addition to subsets of the population being sensitive or intolerant to consuming garlic, it still doesn’t discredit its therapeutic use and ability in those with no digestive issues. Surprisingly, most people with fodmap issues tolerate black garlic very well. Just start and go slowly.