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    Lamb Burgers Recipe

    July 31, 2006 by G. Stephen Jones 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Grilled Lamb Burger Recipe

    Friday Night Lamb Burgers with Barbecue Bob & Bert

    We have been taking turns dining with Roberta, Robert and their family on Friday nights and last night was no exception.

    It's hot here in the Philadelphia region so Bob & Bert decided on Lamb Burgers served with grilled eggplant and a yogurt mint sauce, corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. The tomatoes and basil were fresh from Barbecue Bob's garden.

    The recipe came from an old Gourmet Magazine dated August of 1997 and the ripped out page was sitting on the counter. There were four burger recipes on the page and there is a great story behind them.

    It turns out, Bert, wife of Barbecue Bob, was six months pregnant at the time this particular issue of Gourmet came out and she was craving meat. She happened upon these recipes and asked Bob to go out and get the ingredients for each burger recipe so she could have a different one each night of the week.

    Barbecue Bob, being the great husband that he is and concerned about the grief he might face if he didn't obey, ran out, purchased the ingredients and served his wife a different burger four nights in a row. What a guy!

    I love hamburgers and I'm not sure why I haven't thought about making a lamb burger before this experience. I suppose I believed burgers were made with beef - end of story.

    Now that story has a new beginning and I can't wait to make some myself.

    Where to Get Ground Lamb

    You may be surprised but a lot of supermarkets now carry freshly ground lamb. They also sell ground lamb in frozen tube shaped packaging but I would stay away from that and go with only freshly ground lamb.

    If you do find some freshly ground lamb it probably comes from the lean meat and trimmings from the breast, neck, flank, shoulder, rib, loin, leg or shank.

    If they don't have any on the shelves, you can always ask the butcher to ground some up for you. They may ask you to purchase a piece of lamb breast or other cut of meat but then you will really know it is fresh.

    Grilled Lamb Burgers

    Grilled Eggplant

    Print Recipe

    Lamb Burgers – Who Knew?

    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time12 mins
    Total Time27 mins
    Course: Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    For the Cucumber-Mint Sauce

    • ¼ cucumber
    • ½ cup plain yogurt
    • 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves chopped

    For the Burgers

    • 1¼ pounds ground lamb
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves chopped
    • salt and pepper to taste

    To Serve

    • 4 4 inch pita breads
    • 1½ cups shredded romaine lettuce
    • 8 eggplant slices grilled
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Start with the sauce so it can sit for a while. Seed and finely chop the cucumber.
    • In a small mixing bowl, add the cucumber, yogurt, 2 tablespoons fresh mint and season with salt and pepper to taste.
    • In a large mixing bowl, blend the lamb, cumin and the rest of the mint and again season with salt and pepper. Make four equally sized burgers.
    • Trim the tops off the pita breads so the openings are large enough to fit a burger. If you like, you can toast the pita bread or warm them up on the grill.
    • Cook the lamb burgers the same as you would a beef hamburger to the doneness you and your guests like.
    • To serve, place a burger inside a pita bread, add a slice of grilled eggplant, top with a little of the cucumber/mint sauce and finish with a little shredded romaine lettuce.

    Notes

    Delicious!
    « Summer Succotash Recipe
    Penne Pasta with Asparagus Recipe »

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbecue Bob

      July 31, 2006 at 6:05 pm

      Just keep in mind, that lamb burgers will cook faster than a typical burgers.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        February 25, 2020 at 9:53 am

        Great point Barbecue Bob. Thanks.

        Reply
    2. Mellian

      August 11, 2006 at 10:49 am

      I had lamb "patties" about 20 years ago when my boyfriend's mother fixed them for dinner one night. I bit into it thinking it was a hamburger! What a surprise!
      Down here in Florida you can't get ground lamb at the store. You're lucky if you find a couple of skimpy shanks for an outrageous price. Occasionally, you can get a nice leg. I'm not sure why there's so little lamb down here. But now my mouth is watering for a lamb patty.

      Mellian
      Deltona, FL.

      Reply
    3. POOH

      August 11, 2006 at 11:44 pm

      Had lamb burgers before, happy someone got the recipe published. Thanks

      Reply
    4. ed bergen

      August 13, 2006 at 6:37 pm

      guess i'm lucky,foodtown supermarket
      in town grinds lamb every friday year
      round.going to try your receipt.we serve with mint jelly.

      Reply
    5. cherie lee debell

      March 26, 2007 at 7:26 pm

      I have been making lamb burgers for years for Easter Saturday. The ground lamb used to be in expensive, now it's about $5.00 a pound, but well woth the price. Make up the patties and add a little mint jelly mixed with Hellmans Mayo on the bun. Add lettuce and enjoy on a bun.

      Reply
    6. Hayley

      May 24, 2007 at 10:29 pm

      Lamb burgers, how outrageously groovy. I'm making one for the New Zealand school burger competition. Wicked tehehe.

      Reply
    7. Rita

      October 31, 2009 at 7:34 am

      I love the way you go into such detail regarding this topic. It obviously shows how passionate you are regarding this subject.
      Rita

      Reply

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