The Blue Label Burger Blend Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Aug. 09, 2018

Note: Read my guide to different cuts of beef for a look into the development of this blend.

Recipe Details

The Blue Label Burger Blend Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Freeze 10 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 burger patties
Makes 1 pound of burger meat

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces beef sirloin, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 5 ounces beef brisket, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 12 ounces bone-in oxtail, fat and meat carefully removed from bone and trimmed of silverskin, bones discarded or reserved for another use (about 5 ounces of combined meat and fat)

Directions

  1. Procedure (Meat Grinder): Place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die of meat grinder in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.

  2. Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Grind meat and refrigerate immediately until ready for use. Handle as gently as possible.

  3. Procedure (Food Processor): Place bowl and blade of food processor in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece, and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.

  4. Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Working in two batches, place meat cubes in food processor and pulse until medium-fine grind is achieved, about 8 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down processor bowl as necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
219 Calories
13g Fat
0g Carbs
23g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 219
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 5g 26%
Cholesterol 82mg 27%
Sodium 45mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 23g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 258mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)