How to: Texas-Style Brisket Burgers

For flavor as big as the Lonestar State, kick your pre-made patties to the curb and make these Texas-style Brisket Burgers.

There are really two ways to make a more flavorful burger: a great seasoning and the right grind of meat. Forget the prepackaged, preformed burger patties at your local supermarket. Those days are behind you now. We're going to show you how to make freshly ground brisket burger patties. Since this blend is truly the purist's burger, you can go minimal on toppings or stack it up Texas-style with pickles, slaw and crispy onion rings. 

Selecting Your Meat

The trick to making a good burger is getting the perfect ratio of meat to fat. If your burger grind is too lean, you risk serving up dry hockey pucks. The ideal ratio is 15-20% fat to lean meat. Beef chuck falls right in this sweet spot, which makes it one of the most common types of burger meat. You can also add pork trimmings into your lean beef to get your desired ratio, but you'll have more of a bacon-pork flavored burger. For the richest, beefiest burger, you can grind your brisket trimmings. 

The trim we're using is from a whole, packer brisket. When trimming, discard any squishy fat and silver skin, but save the cold, hard fat and meat. If not using right away, separate the meat scraps and fat scraps and store in the freezer. Your fat trimmings can also be used to make meatballs, sausage, or adding fat to leaner meats.

Note: If you don't have a meat grinder at home, you can get the same results using a food processor. Depending on the size, you may have to work in batches to get the desired consistency. 

Instructions:

1. Portion brisket scraps into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Place in a resealable plastic bag, then partially freeze meat for 1 hour, to get nice and cold. Tip: We also recommend freezing your grinder parts and bowl to ensure the meat is cold throughout the process. 
   
   
   
   
2. Grind brisket scraps through a ¼ inch plate. A ⅜ to ¼ inch plate will give a nice, coarse grind, and provide great flavor. One pass through is all that is needed, but feel free and do another pass, depending on your preference.
   
   
   
   
3. Once meat has reached desired consistency, season with 2 1/2 T of Rodeo Rub and mix just until seasoning is distributed. Overmixing can cause dense burgers so use a light hand here. 
   
   
   
   
4. Portion into 6 to 8 equal-sized balls. Smaller balls for thinner, stackable patties and larger portions for one single beefy patty. 
   
   
   
   
5. Using your hands (or a patty press), form into patties and set aside. 
   
   
   
   
6. Preheat a cast iron skillet or grill over medium-low heat and brush lightly with olive or canola oil. 
   
   
7. Set burgers in the skillet and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway.  Remove from the skillet and rest for 5 minutes, then assemble with fixings. 
   
   
   
   
8. Assembly: Texas toast, dill pickle, brisket burger(s), coleslaw, onion rings, Texas Toast. This is really a purists' burger so you can go as minimal as you'd like or go big and bold, Texas-style.