Freshly Ground Jalapeño-Garlic Hamburgers

Step 1

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Cut the meat into rough 1-inch cubes, trimming any errant bits of sinew or goop from the meat, but leaving the fat intact. You’ll want that in your burgers.

Step 2

Place the cubed meat in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes—just enough to firm up the meat, but not enough to freeze it entirely. Freeze the metal auger and dies for your grinder alongside the meat, so everything will be nice and cold for grinding.

Step 3

While the meat freezes, mince the garlic, shallot, and jalapeño. If you’ve got spice fans coming over for burgers, feel free to leave the ribs and seeds in your peppers; otherwise, core and remove them before mincing.

Step 4

Remove the grinder pieces from the freezer and assemble the attachment, using the coarse die for your initial grind, on the mixer.

Step 5

Place a stainless steel bowl under the grinder to catch the meat as it comes out—when I’m grinding more than 2 pounds of meat at a time, I’ll set my bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice water to keep everything cold, but I don’t bother for smaller quantities.

Step 6

Remove the meat from the freezer and begin to grind on low/stir speed. Don’t try to grind on a higher speed; you’ll just make everything hotter faster. Also take note if you’re scaling this recipe for larger quantities of meat that your mixer’s motor will heat up over time.

Step 7

If, after a pound or two of grinding, you feel your mixer is overheating, disassemble the grinder, place the metal parts back in the freezer, and let your mixer cool down for a bit before grinding again.

Step 8

If you decide you want the meat to have a finer texture after the initial grind, re-freeze the meat in a single layer on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, along with the (cleaned) metal grinder attachment pieces. Reassemble and re-grind with the fine die.

Step 9

Gently mix the ground beef with the minced garlic, shallot, and jalapeño, along with the salt and pepper. Form into quarter-pound burger patties.

Step 10

Separate each burger with waxed paper and refrigerate immediately, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Step 11

For a quick freeze, place the burgers in a single layer on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour, then stack the frozen burgers between layers of waxed paper or wrap each individually in plastic wrap. Wrap the entire stack or each wrapped burger tightly in foil for additional insulation.

Step 12

Serve the burgers within 24 hours if refrigerated, bringing them to room temperature 20 minutes before placing them on the grill. Or thaw the burgers in the refrigerator 24 hours before serving.