Guest Post: Blackened Burgers

A unique guest post this week! We haven’t been posting recipes for a while, so we enlisted the help of Dave Wendel, husband of Ann Wendel of Prana-PT. You may remember Ann from our vacation team where she was helpfully involved when we could not or from the fact she is now part of the Whole9Life Team. Without further preamble, have some delicious burgers!

There are many ways to make hamburgers. I prefer a burger with some good flavor as opposed to just tossing a chunk of ground meat on the grill. Making this simple recipe gives the burger a whole lot more flavor and keeps the juices locked inside.

Start off by preparing the blackening seasoning.

Blackening Seasoning

  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Real Salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 4 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon leaf thyme
  • 1 teaspoon leaf oregano

Mix together in a small container that can be sealed. Shake and you are ready to go.

Burgers

  • 2 pounds Grassfed ground beef , 80/20 or 85/15 works best
  • 1 pastured egg
  • 1 teaspoon Real Salt (or more if you like)
  • 2 tablespoons blackening seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  1. Make the blackening seasoning or purchase your favorite brand.
  2. Add egg, salt, blackening seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce to a large bowl. Mix together with a whisk until well blended
  3. Add ground beef to bowl.
  4. A Kitchen Aid Mixer is great, but in this case a hand mixer works even better. Put mixer on med-high and blend up the beef and seasoning mixture. This should only take around 15 seconds to mix the ingredients well. If you mix it too long it will make your burger tough and chewy.
  5. Take a rubber spatula and fold the meat mixture on top of its self just to make sure everything is mixed properly.
  6. Portion into 6-8oz balls.
  7. Form into patties.
  8. Pre-heat grill to around 400 degrees.
  9. Place burgers on grill, close the lid and leave them alone! Don’t push on them or fiddle with them in any way.
  10. After the burgers cook for approximately 2 minutes rotate them ¼ turn. This is how you get the nice sear marks. Cook for another 2 minutes and flip. Repeat the same steps above until the burger is cooked to your preference.


Dave Wendel is a 1999 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He has worked in the food service industry for 20 years, and currently works as a buyer for a gourmet foods company. Dave became interested in Paleo as part of the comprehensive plan to manage his Type 1 Diabetes.

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