The Snyder Burger

We love to cook burgers. There is nothing quite so good as a well-made, well-cooked hamburger made from grass-fed, grass-finished beef. In our quest to make the perfect burger, we've been refining our recipe for years, and we'd love to share it with you.

As you'll note, this recipe uses no fancy or complicated blend of seasonings. We're very proud of our beef at Snyder Family Farm, and we think high-quality beef should taste, well, beefy! We simply use salt to bring out the natural flavor of the meat. That's all you need to taste before you'll be hooked!

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Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

Salt

Lard, Tallow, Ghee or other preferred rendered fat

Directions:

1. Season your ground beef with 1.25 teaspoons salt. Mix it in by hand until it is fully incorporated.

2. Form the beef into four 4oz quantities. You can do it fine by hand, and you can also use a kitchen scale if you want to get extra-precise.

3. Shape the beef into fairly thin patties and use your finger to put a dimple in the middle of each one (this helps the patty adjust when it shrinks while cooking). You'll want to avoid the thick, hockey-puck style of hamburgers that is often popular at backyard cookouts. You want to get a thinner patty you can cook quickly over high heat.

4. Heat up a large cast-iron pan. You'll want to get it good and hot to make sure you get an excellent blackened crust on the burger. (A good rule of thumb among cast-iron enthusiasts is: "It should be hotter than you think it should be.")

5. Add 1.5 tablespoons of lard (or preferred other rendered fat) to the pan. You want to use lard because it has a high smoke point that allows for high-heat cooking. (Snyder Family Farm sells unrendered fat in which you can render fresh at home. Ask us how to do it!)

6. Once the lard is smoking slightly, add the burgers. Cook them for about three minutes on the first side and then four minutes on the second. Be sure not to disturb them as they're cooking---you want to build up that good sear.

7. Remove from the cast-iron. Allow to rest for five minutes before enjoying.