Perfect Beef Burgers

One of the foods I've been craving a lot recently is good, hearty, beef burger. I know they don't have a good reputation when it comes to being healthy, so I consider my burgers to be a splurge when I need some good comfort food. I recently walked through my local supermarket and found a nice fresh package of organic ground beef (grass-fed, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free, of course), so I decided that maybe I can make a delicious burger that I won't feel so guilty about! 

Ingredients:
     1 pound of ground beef (I used 85% / 15% fat, but 80% / 20% would be fine as well)
     1 tablespoon burger seasoning (includes salt, black pepper, dried onion, dried garlic, and dried bell           peppers)
     salt and pepper, to taste
     1 teaspoon oil (optional, to grease pan or grill)

My wonderful "healthier" ingredients:

First, let me say this: yes, the grass-fed organic meat is much more expensive. However, if you are like me and eat red meat only once in a while, it is definitely worth it! Besides the health benefits of less total fat and higher Omega-3 content, it tastes so much better! I didn't think that I would be able to taste the difference, but I really could.

Place the ground beef in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the burger seasoning and combine well, but do not overwork the meat.

Next, divide the meat into 4 portions. Form and flatten each ball of meat into a patty. Make sure to press into the middle to form a dimple...burgers tend to swell up in the center during the cooking process, so doing this allows them to be uniform at the end.

Heat a cast iron pan (or grill) on high heat. Rub a bit of oil in the pan, if using.

Sprinkle each side of the burgers with salt and black pepper. Once the oil is smoking, add burgers to the pan (I could only fit about 2 at a time). Cook for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, and then flip the burgers and cook for about the same time on the second. You may want to adjust the cooking time depending on how well done you would like your burger. I eat my meat well done, so I added on about another 1-2 minutes per side. Resist the urge to press down on your burger patties, as this will make some of the juices leak out. Also, try to just flip it that one time (after it has cooked fully on the first side), as that is another secret to a juicy burger.

Once the burgers are cooked, remove them from the pan and place them on a plate to rest for 2-3 minutes. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.

Serve on a toasted bun with desired toppings. I used some local butterhead lettuce (grown in Brooklyn, go New York City!) and some sliced red onion. Enjoy!