For Even Better Burger, Mix In Some Ground Lamb With Your Beef

A burger is made from ground beef, right? The answer to that is simultaneously yes, sometimes, and not always. Meats other than beef increasingly crop up in the guise of "burgers," meaning ground meat tucked inside a bun, slathered with condiments, and topped with all kinds of deliciousness. They include ground turkey, bison, and even plant-based burger alternatives. Wherever you land on the scale of burger devotion, there's an option you may have overlooked. 

Fortunately, Tasting Table tapped into the culinary wisdom of Wissam Baki, executive chef of Amal Miami, for some better-burger ideas. Specifically, Baki shares insights culled from his journey from Beirut to Miami, where he now heads up the kitchen and Lebanese food menu at Amal. Burgers are noticeably absent at Amal, but the restaurant definitely embraces meat. In fact, the menu features a meat blend in its kefta and pistachio kababs — one the chef unsurprisingly recommends for anyone cooking burgers, whether professionally or in home kitchen and backyard grills.  

"I recommend blending 75% beef with 25% lamb," Baki reveals. "This combination enhances the texture and tempers the robust flavor of the lamb." While lamb is considered a gamey meat with earthy undertones, it pairs perfectly with ground beef, adding depth and richness to the somewhat bland taste of standard burger meat. It's notable that the Amal Miami menu specifies "minced" beef and lamb in its kababs, rather than the mistakenly interchangeable "ground" term for American-style burgers; that's a distinction worth highlighting.

American households typically cook with ground beef and lamb rather than the minced version that's common in Europe and other countries. Both types go through meat grinders or choppers, but the two are quite different in content and texture. Ground meat presents in raw form as a smooth, emulsified product, due to the addition of other ingredients such as fats, water, or sometimes soy, while minced meats generally have no added fillers. It's strictly meat, whether beef, lamb, or anything else, but it's finely chopped, resulting in a noticeably course texture compared to its ground-meat counterpart. 

While the kababs at Amal Miami utilize minced beef and lamb, the next advice from chef Baki could easily apply to ground versions as well. "For optimal freshness and texture, it's best to grind the meat in-house," says Baki. That might be an easier job in professional kitchens compared to home-based ones — but it's certainly achievable for amateur chefs, given the proper tools.

When freshness and quality control are paramount, you can invest in a meat grinder or use a kitchen appliance you may already have: a food processor. You get the huge benefit of choosing the cuts of meats for mincing or grinding into burgers, both beef and lamb. You'll also be gauging freshness with your own eyes and nose. Simply refrigerate or lightly freeze the meat slabs — only until firm on the outside — then cut into one-inch cubes and follow your food processor directions.