This Burger Is One For The Books!
We’re Making (and Tasting) The Cuban-Spiced Burger From Simple
WORD COUNT: 892 – READING TIME: 3.5 MINUTES
This piece was originally going to be about an Inverted Pizza. (sounds interesting, right?) But fate intervened, and I accidentally got in Oprah’s lane. When that happens, you’re going to need to re-route. And we’ve done just that.
I’m uncertain if this is destined to be a classic Meet Up, like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, or any other of the countless “Meet(s)” movies. But you just never know…
What happens when our yearlong A Burger A Week series runs head-on into a Make at Home moment? Well, it’s unofficially burger # 42½!
Named after the Boston, MA street where it resides, Milk Street is all about food. They have a magazine, a TV cooking show, a cooking school, and, of course, a podcast (maybe I can be a guest someday! 🤞🏻). They also publish some damn good cookbooks.
Our burger stop today has zero commute time for me. I just need to walk to my own kitchen and start prepping!
🍔 We’re making the Cuban-Spiced Burger (P33) from the just-released Simple cookbook.
Sometimes, a name can leave you wondering. In this case, the name perfectly describes what you will find between the covers. There are 200 “simple” recipes that you will love to cook. Every page is a “that sounds delicious moment.”
Since the Inverted Pizza was 86’d, Plan B was now Plan A. The Cuban-Spiced Burger seemed like the perfect choice. The recipe has Florida elements, and it would slide effortlessly into our burger world. Choice made!
Now let’s cook this thing! 🍔
It all starts with the spice blend (after all, this burger has “Spice” in its name).
Oh, and of course, burger meat. 🐮
This recipe has an unusual way of blending those two things. You sprinkle the spice mix over the beef, and then pop it into the freezer?! ☃️
🧪 Here’s the food science behind this. — “Partially freezing ground beef before mixing in the spices helps prevent the meat from becoming compacted during mixing and shaping, producing a meatier, more tender burger.”
That 20-minute freezer step was the perfect amount of time I needed to prep my burger toppings!
The Spicy Sauce…
🥬🍅🧅 AND some more traditional trimmings.
⏱️ After 20 – Spiced burger meat out of the deep freeze, mix it together, and cook in a large skillet. Easy! (You don’t need photos for that. You know how to pan-fry a burger!)
To save space, we won’t detail the whole recipe right here. But we do have it for you, courtesy of the nice folks at Milk Street.
🔗 HERE’S A LINK TO THE FULL RECIPE 📃
As always… Let’s talk about our Make it at Home, Cuban-Spiced Burger experience…
RESTAURANT: MY HOME KITCHEN – MILK STREET, SIMPLE COOKBOOK
DATE OF VISIT: OCTOBER 15, 2023
STOP #: 42½ OF 52
BURGER TASTED: THE CUBAN-SPICED BURGER
📒 OUR TASTING NOTES
🍔 This burger is served as listed on the menu: 85% lean ground beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, spicy sauce, Publix French hamburger bun ($4.60 cost to make)
Let’s check out how all of this looked when I “ordered” it…
• This burger was nice and crispy on the outside (like a smash-style burger) and a nice med-rare cooked in the middle. 📝 My burger didn’t take as long to cook as the recipe called for. Keep an eye on yours!
• For some unknown reason, this burger was messy to eat. Delicious, but you’re going to need a napkin (or 2)! 😃
• The Spicy Sauce creeps up on you. Not a lot in that first bite. But once you get going, you taste the heat, but it’s not over the top. It’s just spicy enough to give this burger the kick it needs! Lovers of any spice level will be happy. 🌶️
• The method of mixing the spices into the semi-frozen meat works surprisingly well. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical that it would make much of a difference, but it did. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER MIX!
• THE FRIES! – Sadly, no fries today. But I did have a nice crunchy Claussen pickle! 🥒
Here’s what it looked like when the pros at Milk Street made their burger.
They did a pretty good job, too! 😁🍔
BURGER TAKEAWAYS: This is easy to make • It’s a great burger value 💵 (about $5 per serving!) • No hard-to-get ingredients or special equipment required • The recipe (and directions) as printed work well
❓ There’s one question we always ask at the end of these kinds of pieces. CAN YOU MAKE THIS AT HOME? This one is a resounding YES. Let’s check the scale, shall we?
➡️ ONE LAST THING
How would you like your very own copy of Simple to keep in your very own kitchen? Well, we have one to give to one very lucky reader. Here’s the link to enter. Good luck – ENTER ME FOR THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
📕 Milk Street’s Simple is published by Little Brown’s imprint, Voracious.
If you’d like to purchase a copy of this book, you can do it HERE.
Just a note: If you do buy a copy, we will receive a small commission.
🧑🏻🍳 HEY CHEFS AND RESTAURANT OWNERS! 👩🏻🍳
We want to feature one of your recipes in our popular Make it at Home series. Drop us a line and we’ll give you the details! INFO HERE🌟
🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD EVENTS 🗓️
Here are some upcoming local food events that we think you might find interesting. All you need to do is make that reservation. We’ve provided you with a link to more info.
⭐⭐ If you have an event, we’d like to help you spread the word. Let us know! (EMAIL IT)
📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2023 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖
😋 MICHAEL’S ON EAST – MONTHLY EPICUREAN MENU – OKTOBERFEST
⭐ EAT LOCAL WEEK!! 🍊🍈– INFORMATION
🚶🏻 TASTE MAGAZINE WALKING FOOD TOURS OF BRADENTON – INFO
WEEKLY POP-UP KITCHEN EVENTS – 99 Bottles Taproom & Bottle Shop
Yes! Things are finally starting to pick up a bit in the local food event department. Our calendar is filling up little by little. ⬇️
OCT 20 – Roaring Good Vines Wine Dinner – Fleming’s
OCT 21 – National Mezcal Day Tasting Event – Kolucan
OCT 21 – Rock The Roof (SMH Fundraiser) – INFORMATION
OCT 21-29 – New Port Richey Brewery Week – INFORMATION
OCT 25 – Circo + Sazerac Tasting – Circo Bourbon and Tacos
OCT 26 – Lobetia Spanish Wine Dinner – Harry’s Continental Kitchens
OCT 29 – Winebow Wine Dinner – Andrea’s
OCT 31 – Halloween Wine Tasting – Amore Ristorante
NOV 2 – Celebrity Chef Dinner – Pop’s Sunset Grill
NOV 4 – 10th Annual Wild Truffle & Wine Dinner – Florida Wine Fest
NOV 5 – Farm To Table at Resilient Retreat – INFORMATION
NOV 11 – Bashert – Some Things Are Meant to Be – Players Center
NOV 12 – Sarasota Orchestra Brunch – INFORMATION
NOV 14 – All Star Twinkle Ball – INFORMATION
NOV 17 – Alsace Wine Tasting – Mademoiselle Paris
🧑🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO 🌾
EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS
THIRD THURSDAY NIGHT – RADD Night Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
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