Rogue Pencil: Lamburgers

I've made lamburgers once, and I fell in love with them. Unfortunately, the ground lamb I buy is a bit expensive, so I don't get to make them often.

But I'm having a BBQ and work party tomorrow, and have to feed my hungry helpers, and decided this would be a great time to make lamburgers again.

Ingredients (estimates)

2 lbs ground lamb
2 lbs ground beef
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp red pepper flakes (I'm not sure how spicy my guests will like their burgers!)
1 head garlic, minced
4 Tbs mint
1 tsp coriander, ground
4 Tbs bread crumbs
2 tsp black pepper, ground
2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp allspice, ground

Allspice: whole, crushed, ground.

Cumin: whole and crushed.

Coriander: whole, crushed and ground (as best I could)

All spices (and breadcrumbs)

Garlic

I've heard that (generally?) Canadians think removing skin from garlic is difficult. Here's how I do it. You'll need a broad knife, like a chef's knife or a cleaver.

Break the head into a manageable size (I usually do quarters).

Chop off the woody bottoms (near the roots).

Separate into individual cloves.

Lay the broad face of the knife on top of the clove. I hold the handle with my left hand when I do this. With the palm of your right hand, press down on the knife, gently increasing the pressure until you hear the garlic break slightly.

The skin will pop right off. If it's still stuck, crush again :).

You don't have to completely flatten the garlic! Here's how my cloves turned out:

Finely mince.

I decided to make more of a garlic paste, by sprinkling a tiny bit of salt, and running the flat of the blade against the garlic once in a while.

Dump additives into the meat; mix together (I used my hands and latex gloves).

Notice the lack of salt. This is deliberate. I've heard that adding salt to your burgers right away causes the liquids to come out too fast; and that salting during or after cooking is much better. We'll see...