Beef on Bruce loves to cook

Forming burger patties

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A burger patty is ground meat, portioned and shaped, and almost nothing else. Its texture comes from how little you handle it, and its size decides everything after it: how it cooks, how much of it ends up as crust, and which bun it fits. Most burgers here use thin patties, because a thin patty is mostly crust and a burger is mostly about crust.

Cooking the patties

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There are many ways to cook a burger patty. I prefer a patty with a crust, so that’s what I’ll outline.

A burger patty cooks for its crust. The surface has to be hot enough to brown the meat before the thin patty overcooks, so the pan is hotter than for almost anything else, and the patty stays still until it’s ready to flip. Done is medium to medium-well, never tough.

How do you fry ground beef without oil?

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I regularly stay at a corporate apartment with a nice little kitchen that has only stainless steel pots and pans. Real pans are normally a good thing, but when I’m travelling I don’t bring oil or butter, and I don’t want to buy more than I need, since I hate throwing out food (or packing it home). And while stainless pans are inert and last forever, they’re picky until they reach the right temperature and are properly lubricated.

Gyro base

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Gyro beef or lamb is a great base for salads, pitas, sandwiches, and other preparations.

Mechanic

This is the gyro spice-and-meat base, sized to 1 kg of ground meat so it scales cleanly for freezing or batch cooking. The technique is sausage-making applied without a grinder: mixing with cold water and a bread crumb panade until sticky emulsifies the proteins, giving a snap and shape-holding bite whether you form it into dogs, patties, or kebabs. MSG rounds out the umami without adding more salt to the mix. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.

Gyro dogs

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This recipe was inspired by a Chef John video. It inspired me to make the gyro mix as a base, which I freeze in large flat zip-top bags.

Mechanic

This is sausage-making technique applied to a gyro spice blend; see the [[Gyro base]] Mechanic for how the cold water and panade emulsify the meat. That emulsion is what gives the dogs their snap and lets them hold a hot-dog shape on the grill instead of falling apart like a loose burger. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.

Beef stew

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is our classic-style beef stew. I tend to make it as a base now, skipping the potatoes and more delicate vegetables, which are served alongside it.

Mechanic

Brown the beef in batches without crowding; you want a sear, not a steam. The fond that builds on the bottom of the pot is the stew’s backbone; the wine deglaze lifts all of it. Making this as a minimal stew, without vegetables in the braise, means you can cook it longer without anything going mushy and serve it over whatever you have on hand.

Beef stroganoff

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A warm and comforting stew. This is a 3-part stroganoff that covers a few styles of the dish.

Mechanic

This recipe exists in three versions; choose the protein and build accordingly. The method is the same in all three: brown the beef, brown the mushrooms, deglaze, simmer, finish with sour cream. The sour cream must be tempered (hot liquid added gradually) or it will break.

Beef base

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a savoury ground beef base for tacos, salads, soups, casseroles, and sauces.

Mechanic

The cooking method sets the texture. A hot pan reduces the stock quickly and leaves a crumbly mince for tacos and salads; a long braise or the pressure cooker makes it much softer. The pressure cooker is my favourite: under an hour for a texture that otherwise takes most of an afternoon. Mushrooms cooked from wet to dry to browned add a savoury backbone either way.

Bulgogi beef

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a sweet, barbecued Korean beef dish that is typically made with boneless short rib or rib eye. It can also be made with ground beef or pork for a faster weeknight meal.

Weeknight ginger beef

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a quick version of ginger beef, great in rice bowls.

Mechanic

Drizzle soy around the edge of the hot wok, not into the centre. It caramelizes briefly as it hits the metal before reaching the meat, adding depth without extra ingredients.