Beef Burger With Grilled Kale
This recipe crafts a delicious beef burger featuring grass-fed ground sirloin seasoned with barbecue or steak sauce and sea salt. It's topped with pungent blue cheese and served with healthy, grilled kale on whole grain buns, offering a flavorful and balanced meal.
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Grill or Grill Pan
- 1 Spatula For flipping burgers
- 1 Measuring Spoons For sauce and salt
- 1 Tongs Useful for grilling kale and buns
Ingredients
Main
- 1 pound grass-fed ground sirloin
- 4 teaspoons barbecue or steak sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 4 large kale leaves
- 4 whole grain or whole wheat burger buns split
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, gently combine the ground sirloin with the barbecue or steak sauce and sea salt.
- Form the mixture into 4 equal patties, approximately 3/4-inch thick, and press a slight indentation in the center of each to prevent them from puffing up when cooked.
- Preheat your grill or a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
- Place the burger patties on the preheated grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or to your desired doneness, flipping only once to achieve a good sear.
- While the burgers cook, prepare the kale by lightly brushing the leaves with a small amount of olive oil if desired, to aid in grilling.
- Place the kale leaves directly on the grill alongside the burgers and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until they are tender-crisp with slight charring.
- During the last minute of grilling, you may place the split burger buns cut-side down on the grill to lightly toast them.
- Remove the cooked burgers, grilled kale, and toasted buns from the grill.
- Immediately top each hot burger patty with a generous portion of the crumbled blue cheese, allowing the residual heat to melt it slightly.
- Assemble the burgers by placing a cheesy patty onto the bottom half of each bun, layering with the grilled kale, and then topping with the other half of the bun.
Notes
For optimal flavor and texture, avoid overmixing the ground sirloin when forming patties; gentle handling ensures a tender burger. Create a slight indentation in the center of each patty to prevent them from puffing up into a ball during grilling, ensuring an even cook. When grilling kale, a light brush of olive oil before placing it on the heat will help achieve a beautiful tender-crisp texture with slight charring. For an elevated experience, toast the burger buns on the grill for the last minute or two of cooking; this adds warmth and structural integrity. Blue cheese melts beautifully on a hot burger, adding a sharp, savory counterpoint to the beef and barbecue sauce.