Look at these beauties of patties made during a recent butchering day at The Amish Cook's house. Unlike meat bought from the mass retailers (horse meat, anyone?), this is pure 100 percent cow. Â This is about as fresh of a hamburger patty as a person can consume. Â And notice the difference in the meat compared to some of the store-bought stuff. Â It's subtle, but there definitely is a freshness that it exudes. This is a very typical scene in Amish homes this time of year. Â Looking for a creative way to make a burger this summer? Â This is a recipe that appeared in Elizabeth Coblentz's Amish Cook column back in the summer of 2002:
BARBECUED BURGERS
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 cups soft bread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds hamburger
¼ cup minced onion
¼ cup milk
Combine above ingredients and mix well. Shape into thin patties. Broil over hot coals, brushing both sides with barbecue sauce. Â You can use the sauce of your choice, or be bold and use this recipe that comes from Choteau, Oklahoma's Amish settlement:
AMISH B-B-Q SAUCE
4 cups catsup
dash Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups vinegar
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 /2 cup chopped onion
2 cups sugar
1 can tomato sauce
Mix all together.
Angie Yoder
Once you've had fresh butchered beef, there's no going back. And if all of we non-Amish would frequent our local family farms for our beef, poultry, dairy products and produce we would all be a lot healthier too, and we would be supporting our local mom-and-pop economy.