Hunk of Meat Monday: Hamburgers, Brats and Amazing Hot Dogs!!

This weekend was just wonderful!! Even though us tough Minnesota types will grill outside when it is negative 20 degrees, 50 degrees and sunny really brings out the charcoal and gas kings. Our neighborhood smelled of lighter fluid all weekend. Tim and I have an old classic Weber kettle grill. The grill is a hand-me down from my uncle and I am guessing it is at least 15 years old.  It stills works great, just don’t try to move it, one of the wheels likes to fall off.

We love cooking up hamburgers, wild rice brats and Organic Prairie hot dogs on our grill. When I first started cooking with our pasture raised ground beef, I had to learn a thing or two. Our beef is VERY lean and completely different from ground chuck or other ground and hamburger beef you find in the grocery store. When cooking with leaner ground beef you need to take the slow and steady approach. Cooking your burgers on high heat will turn them into tasteless, hockey pucks. Here is what I like to do:

1. Thaw 1 lb of Zweber Farms ground beef.
2. Add one Zweber Farms egg (beaten)
3. Mix in 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
4. Mix with your hands and form into four patties.
5. Cook over medium, indirect heat until medium well  (flip once).
6. Melt a slice of Organic Valley cheese on the burger in its final minute. (I personally like Pepper Jack)
7. Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings.

Adding the egg aids the ground beef so that it doesn’t fall apart while cooking.

If you are more of a brat person, give us a call. We have wonderful wild rice brats from our pigs available. They were processed at Lorentz Meats in Cannon Falls. No one does a wild rice brat like they do. This is why we are sooooo sad they are no longer processing pork.

If you are a classic hot dog person, check out Organic Prairie’s Uncured Beef Hot Dogs. Some people are sensitive to nitrates and nitrites in their food. These hot dogs have neither. They are also made from animals raised on small, organic pasture based farms. Even, if you don’t care about any of that, they are simply 100% wonderful in the mouth!! We order them in bulk for our family. You can order them online anytime by visiting the Organic Prairie website. Organic Prairie is the meat side of Organic Valley.

Of course whether you are serving up burgers, brats or hot dogs, you need to pair it with a cold glass of Organic Valley milk.

View other yummy Hunk of Meat Monday recipes:

Happy grilling!!

Emily

Zweber Farms is a 4th generation family operated organic dairy.  We are proud Organic Valley farmer members and sell our milk under that label. We also specialize in sustainably raised beef, pork and chicken and sell it directly to customers in Minnesota.Visit our website to learn more, www.zweberfarms.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitterand YouTube.