Buttermilk Panko Burger
An extra-juicy burger made with a buttermilk-panko panade for a tender, flavorful patty every time.
Most burgers are told to stay simple: beef, salt, heat, done. This one ignores that advice for a useful reason. Panko breadcrumbs soak in buttermilk for five minutes to make a soft panade, then that mixture goes into the ground beef with egg, minced onion, salt, and black pepper. The panade holds onto moisture as the patties cook, giving you a tender, juicy burger with a little more forgiveness than a straight-beef patty.
There is a catch, because burgers enjoy paperwork. Once the panade, beef, and egg meet, mix only until everything is evenly distributed. Work it aggressively and the texture tightens. The formed patties also get a 10-minute chill before the skillet, which firms them enough to handle cleanly because this mixture is softer than the usual burger.
Cook over medium-high heat rather than blasting them over maximum heat; the bread-and-buttermilk mixture can scorch before the centers are ready. Cheese can go on during the final minute, then give the patties a short rest before they hit toasted buns. The result lands somewhere between classic burger juiciness and meatloaf-style tenderness, except nobody has to admit they put meatloaf on a bun, which is apparently where society has chosen to draw the line.
