Pork burger help please

[Mobile Chicane]

Hi all,

I've been given a load of pork (a mix of cooked/uncooked) from a hog roast which I want to use up. I've minced it with lemongrass, ginger, chilli, garlic etc to make Thai-style burgers.

Only thing is, the meat is very lean and even with 2 eggs per Kg of meat it's still breaking up on cooking.

Any ideas for getting it to hang together?

Thanks

[calibrax]

cornflour and water?

[Mobile Chicane]

calibrax said:

cornflour and water?

Really?

[pacman1]

Breadcrumbs (20% tops) and some milk.

[calibrax]

Mobile Chicane said:

Really?

Well, if it's thick it forms a paste, which I expect should bind it nicely. Not sure how it would taste though!

Of course the perfect solution would be to add some rendered pork fat...

[T84]

I never use egg or breadcrumbs in my burgers and they stay together fine and are delicious.

The 3 things I find best for making burgers that stay together is:

1) Press them, hard!
2) Chill them prior to cooking
3) Cook as much as possible before flipping, they don't break apart as much when cooked.

[pacman1]

I discovered breadcrumbs for burgers recently, firms them up well, but unnecessary to use too much, a la supermarket stuff.

The other thing I find that stops 'em breaking up is to blitz any other ingredients you wish to add. Even finely chopped onion for instance tends to break 'em up.

And all that T84 said, if you can prepare in advance.

[dazco]

Chill it a lot.

When you cook it, have the balls to leave it until one side is done, then turn it and do the other side,

No prodding, no moving, no poking.