If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I rarely share meat recipes. Three reasons why:
- I wanted to encourage Americans to eat more vegetables and herbs. Not because they’re healthy, because they’re delicious and versatile.
- I always enjoyed cooking plants more than meat.
- And as much as I love chicken liver, plants are more photogenic.
Nothing really changed except that my eldest is now in college in Boston. Luli asked me to show him how to make the basic easy meat recipes he misses so much. If I share them with him, I might as well share them with you too. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can always replace the meat with plant-based meat, or with black bean burger patties, or skip it altogether and just make the salad.
I normally cook these patties on a cast iron skillet, but if I’m staying in an Airbnb that has a grill, I’ll definitely grill them. It’s less messy on the grill. If you make it in a skillet and want to keep the stove semi-clean use a grease splatter screen.
By the way, since I turned fifty, I eat more meat — at least 2–3 times a week. I swear I feel the difference. I feel more nourished and I don’t have the pain in my muscles like I used to when I lived mostly on plants.
I used Force of Nature Grass-Fed Ancestral Blend — ground beef mixed with beef liver and heart, which are packed with nutrients. It’s a great way to sneak organ meats into your food. My teenager won’t touch liver or heart on their own but loves these patties.
THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST, I wished! Force of Nature don’t even know I exist.
Beef Patties Over Pineapple Salad
Equipment
- Grill or heavy skillet
- mixing bowl
- metal tongs or long chopsticks
Ingredients
Beef Patties
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 small garlic cloves - crushed or grated
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 –2 tablespoons olive oil
Pineapple Express Salad
- 1 to 2 cups cubed pineapple or mango
- 2 Persian cucumbers - diced
- 6 mini sweet peppers or 1 bell pepper - remove seeds, chopped
- 1 Serrano pepper* - chopped — optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- Salt
Instructions
- Make the patty mixture: Put the spices and salt in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic and mix. Add the ground beef and mix and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside while preparing the salad.
- Make the salad: Put all the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well.
- Shape the patties: Roll the beef mixture into balls slightly bigger than a ping pong ball and place on a plate. About 12 patties
- On the grill: Heat the grill to high heat. Using long metal tongs or long chopsticks, place the balls on the grill. Lower the heat and close the hood. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3–5 minutes. We like them cooked medium.
- On a skillet: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil or tallow (beef fat) in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties, leaving some space between them — don’t overcrowd the skillet or they’ll steam instead of brown. Cook in batches if needed. Immediately lower the heat to medium. Cook without moving them for 4–5 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes for medium. It can get messy and splatter oil, so lower the heat if needed or cover with a grease splatter screen.
- Serve the salad in deep plates and top with the patties.
Notes
- You can press the patties and make burgers instead.
- To make them more kabob-ish: add 1 small grated onion (strain the liquid) and chopped parsley to the beef mixture.
- The longer the beef rests with the seasoning, the tastier the patties. The salt draws out moisture from the meat, which then dissolves the spices and gets reabsorbed, seasoning the meat from the inside out. If you’re cooking within 30–60 minutes, keep the mixture on the counter. Otherwise, keep it in the fridge and remove it 30 minutes before cooking.
