I wonder if the traditional use of fillers like bulgur wheat, ground rice and bread comes from traditions where meat was rare and needed to be extended. It seems common in middle eastern cooking especially where the meat is heavily worked into a paste before the patty is formed and cooked. Could the beef economy of the early US have resulted in the purity of the modern burger…?
I am going to give these suggestions a go when we next do burgers - I found the mincer at the back of the cupboard and it has been cleaned and is ready for action.
As an aside I also found there is a big difference in sausage traditions. In the UK quality sausages will have grain/rusk added to the meat mix (bad cheap ones have meat added to grain!) but in here in Australia we have lots of Italian butchers who produce traditional Italian 100% meat sausages. They are good, but after growing up in the UK, I find I prefer the softer, more subtle texture a bit of filler gives.
It’s a view that some find heretical: how can a sausage that has filler be better than a genuine 100% meat gourmet product. But for me the grand tradition of great British sausages needs a sausage that is balanced and soft to eat.
I love the variety of tastes and textures - heres to variety.
