Emalene's Burgers - a Recipe from Mom

My mother is a fabulous cook, and I learned a lot of what I know from her. We were the kind of family that had meals together; and with six kids, that was a big group of people at one table. When we had a family reunion back in 1990, one of the best moments was when we all went around the room at the big dinner sharing our favorite meals from Mom. The number one vote from all six of us, even from my youngest sister who rarely eats meat, was her cheeseburgers. She cooked them in a big black cast iron skillet, and when the meat was done on one side, she put the cheese on and topped that with the hamburger buns. The buns then soaked up the meat juices that came out of the burgers, and we had a hearty, greasy, cholesterol-filled (but who cared back in the 60s?) cheeseburger. Another favorite was Emalene’s Burgers–something she got from a friend in Abilene, Texas, in 1950. She could make enough for the whole family on one cookie sheet, and she usually served them with her famous fried potatoes. These, too, were cooked in the big cast iron skillet, which had to be filled to the brim in order to feed all of us. The first time I made DH Emalene’s Burgers he fell in love with them. He’s a bit different from my family, though–while all of us ate them with Miracle Whip (Mom used a lot of Miracle Whip. She hardly ever used mayonnaise for anything), he eats his with A-1 Steak Sauce.

Emalene’s Burgers

1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 T finely minced onion
2 T milk
dash pepper & salt
4 large hamburger buns

Mix ground beef, onion, milk, pepper, and salt by hand in a bowl. Spread equal amounts on hamburger bun halves, spreading as far to the edge (and even over the edge) as possible. Broil 5-6 minutes or until meat is brown and before edges of bun begin to burn. (The meat begins to shrink as it cooks, exposing the edges of the buns). You can eat these spread with your choice of toppings (mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, mustard, steak sauce) or put two of them together with toppings and cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Makes 4.

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