You don’t have to be Smarter Than a Fifth Grader to know that an Improper Fraction is simply a fraction that has a numerator (top number) larger than or equal to the denominator (bottom number). So that would make 73/27 an improper fraction. But, is 73/27 the Perfect Improper Fraction? In all honesty, I don’t think there is any such thing as the Perfect Improper Fraction, it’s just something I made up [I just tend to be silly like that]. But now that I’ve got your attention I want to talk to you about…Hamburger. That’s right, Hamburger!
Seriously though, 73/27 is an important number to many low-carbers but the good news is that you don’t have to be a math whiz to follow me in my little discourse. Ground meat from beef is generally graded into the following four grades or categories, according to fat content.
Ground Beef – 73% Lean, 27% Fat
Ground Chuck – 80% Lean, 20% Fat
Ground Sirloin – 85% Lean, 15% Fat
Ground Round – 90% Lean, 10% Fat
So, now you know when I’m talking about 73/27 I’m talking about hamburgers and not math. I really didn’t do all that well in math anyway, but I did learn something about hamburgers! After reading all the raves about the satiety power of 73/27 ground beef patties over at the LLVLC Discussion Forum I decided to try them for myself and see what all the hoop-lah was about. I went to my local grocery store and bought five pounds of 73/27 ground beef and grilled up some hamburger patties. They were pretty good but I wanted a different texture, so I pan fried a batch. Still searching for a different texture I followed the advice of other seasoned low-carbers and broiled them in the oven. Pay-Dirt! Exactly what I was looking for.
How I Cook ‘Em! Turn the oven to Broil/500 to preheat. I take my 18″ x 13″ Jelly-Roll Pan, that’s now lonely because I haven’t done baked goodies in a really long time. I pat out my burger patties, generally about 8 ounces each, place them on the pan. I broil them about 8 or 9 minutes per side. Now, ain’t that easy? And cleanup is a breeze. Contrary to what you’re probably thinking, they don’t splatter all over the oven and the 1″ sides of the jelly roll pan is plenty high enough to contain the drippings [low-carbers NEVER call it grease]. Just wipe out the pan and wash it. DONE! You’ve got food to keep in the fridge that’s always ready when you are.
Seasonings you ask? I personally don’t add any seasonings to mine before I broil them. I generally sprinkle a little Celtic Sea Salt on mine…that’s all…and they’re delicious. Yes, I must admit that I am a Beef Fan-Boy! But if you want to add your favorite seasonings before you broil ’em, help yourself, wear it out! It ain’t gonna’ hurt my feelings.
Satiety…That Full, Satisfied Feeling. Satiety…something Donuts don’t have! And there’s a ton of other pseudo-foods out there, mostly from the high-carb kingdom, that never fill you up, they just leave you wanting more. Well, let me just go ahead and tell you that 73/27 Burgers are a home-run in the satiety game. Most of the time I can only eat one 8 ounce patty, sometimes one and one-half if I’m really hungry. And it’s usually 4 to 6 hours before I’m hungry again! Now that’s a record for the Former Donut Junkie!
73/27 Burgers…The Craving Killer! Yeah, you read that right, with these burgers cravings are practically non-existent! Cravings are that evil creature I lived with most of my life and never knew that there was a way to live without them. Of course, there are plenty of other low-carb foods that have great satiety power, but I’ve just been particularly impressed with this tasty, easy to make, always ready, portable food. That’s why I wanted to share my experience with you. But don’t take my word for it, try ’em for yourself and see what you think.
Oh…The Secret to Their Satiety. Yes, these 73/27 patties are high in protein but it’s that 27% fat combined with the protein that keeps you satiated for so long. Saturated fat, like lots of other real foods, has gotten a bad rap over the years. There are plenty of scientific studies out there that exonerate them. But we’ll save that subject for another time.
Now before I go getting all those nasty comments, let me just go ahead and tell you that 73/27 Burgers are not the only thing I eat, and meat is not the only thing I eat. I eat a few leafy, non-starchy vegetables; a few only because I’ve NEVER been a big veggie fan [there, I said it and now I feel better]. I also eat a little cheese and other dairy occasionally. Basically I shop the outer aisles of the super market…where the healthy foods are. In case you hadn’t noticed, pseudo-foods mostly occupy the inner aisles.
There Really is Life Without Donuts!
Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie
Life Without Donuts 
Sep 10, 2008 @ 16:00:47
Ok you had me going there with all the math, I was never good at fractions.
My mom always had chuck roast ground for her burger and I’ve just followed suit. I’ve never even bought “hamburger”.
I will have to give it a try after reading your description. I’m a major burger fan! I could eat a burger with or without cheese everyday. One of my favs is a plain patty served up along side scrambled eggs with spinach added. I call it green eggs and ham-burger… silly but yummy.
I’ve always like veggies but I eat way more now than I ever did pre-low carb.
Thanks for sharing about the fatter meat, I will be trying it soon.
Vikki
Sep 10, 2008 @ 16:45:09
I also like hamburger with scrambled eggs, or fried eggs. I could just about live on meat and eggs. But I do need some coffee along the way. Thanks Vikki!
Sep 11, 2008 @ 10:49:35
Ground hamburger is very versatile, I find.
Sep 11, 2008 @ 11:09:52
Hey, Ron!
Just wondering… why are the oven broiled burgers so much better than the pan fried ones? I make mine pan fried, and haven’t tried them under the broiler yet.
Happy LCing!
~~Kathy in Texas
Sep 11, 2008 @ 12:05:46
Kathy, it may just be my pan cooking style that tends to leave the burgers with a harder surface, which I don’t care for. I like the consistent texture all the way through the burger that broiling achieves. And the broiled burgers are worlds better when you warm them up in the micro!
Sep 11, 2008 @ 14:12:43
I love fat burgers, too! But I am really choosy about my ground meat source. I either grind it myself or get it ground at the butcher for me, never from a package ground from the trimmings of 400 cows originating in 4 or more countries at some processing plant that runs a mile a minute with unskilled labor. You get my drift. Even the lowly hamburger deserves to be done right.
I bought a half bison from a pasture-based bison ranch in Montana last spring so we have been using a lot of ground bison instead of beef lately. Next time I buy bison I will have more made into ground meat instead of roasts and steaks; ground is just so versatile for kid-friendly basics like burgers, chili, meatloaf, and Meatza-Pizza (ground meat crust) . And I will request that any fat trimmings be added back to the ground meat next time. Or I will get my hands on some good beef tallow and add that to the ground meat.
But pasture-raised bison is extremely lean (so is grass-fed beef) and I have to add fat to the ground meat to make a good burger (both for taste and as a binder to keep it from breaking apart) I add an egg and an extra yolk, seasonings, and I mix grated parmesan/romano cheese into it until it is the right consistency (perhaps a 1/2 cup to 2 pounds of meat?). I never use breadcrumbs.
Living in So Cal, the gas grill is always available, so I heat that on high for at least 10 minutes (well over 500°F) then cook the burgers (covered) for about 4-5 minutes on each side, no more or it will be overdone (no pressing with a spatula, either; the juices are lost!). Bison and other lean means don’t handle overcooking well. The grated cheese keeps the meat moist, like an internal “basting” and permeates a gently salty flavor throughout. We loves these burgers! I always make extra for leftovers.
I make similar burgers or kibbe with ground lamb and Middle Eastern or Greek seasonings, too.
Sep 11, 2008 @ 15:40:16
We get “grass fed” beef and our hamburger is extremely lean – no fat is left over to pour off once cooked in the pan. It is so lean it is almost like ground steak. The eggs and wheat or oat bran or leftover bake mix act as a binder in my burgers. I bought a meat grinder and tried grinding our meat, but I was totally annoyed with the fussiness of it and wondered whether I was getting the equipment clean enough for the next time. lol We go nowhere else but Costco for our mince meat and only a particular Costco that we trust.
Sep 11, 2008 @ 16:19:17
Anna, I really like the addition of the eggs, seasonings and especially the cheese. I’ve also considered adding some chopped onions. Sounds kind of like a meatloaf sans bread crumbs, one of my long time favorite foods. I’m thinking of trying that for my next batch of burgers. Thanks for your comments!
Sep 11, 2008 @ 16:21:45
Jennifer, I considered a meat grinder for making some homemade sausage, however, the cleaning issue seemed to me like it could be a problem. My brother-in-law, who used to be a butcher, has pretty much talked me out of it for the time being. I’m now considering making some jerky from ground beef using Cleochatra’s jerky recipe. Never made any before…you had any experience making jerky?
Sep 11, 2008 @ 22:38:54
No, Ron – I used to make dried fruit quite a bit, years ago (I regifted my dehydrator when we moved to the tropics 2 years ago), but the thought of leaving raw meat sitting at a slightly warm temperature for hours worries me. I’m not sure how valid that worry is.
Sep 12, 2008 @ 00:44:49
I had a grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer, but it was too puny and underpowered.
Now I have a heavy duty grinder , about the size of a stand mixer (because I make raw cat food with whole chicken, bones & all, every week for my 2 cats, plus a neighbor’s three cats) and it works like a charm. Comes with a sausage stuffer, too, though it gets the most use for the cat food.
Cleaning is pretty easy if I get to it right away before the protein bits have a chance to get sticky and start to dry in place. And consider that I am a girl who will put anything I can into the dishwasher.
As soon as the grinding is done, I quickly disassemble the grinder mechanism, give everything a quick hot rinse to get the solid bits off, then all the parts go into a very hot, soapy dishpan. I have a brush that gets into the tubular parts. I rinse several times in really hot water, and the last rinse is with the hottest water I can get out of the tap (can’t put my hands in it) with some bleach in another dishpan, then I pull the parts out with tongs and dry on a rack. The parts are so hot they air-dry in a minute or two for the most part. Takes less than 10 minutes and is easier to clean than my blender (I hate getting the blender out).
I haven’t made jerky yet, but I plan to.
Sep 12, 2008 @ 08:35:16
By the way I was also thinking of making sausage with the meat grinder. 🙂 We used to get a sausage called, “boerewors” in South Africa. It was my favorite sausage growing up. They actually made it at a butcher in Kelowna, British Columbia, a town we lived close to during part of our lives in Canada – so our boys got to enjoy it for a few years as well (they’re Canucks – born and bred in Canada). Honestly, though, it is a fussy thing using that grinder of mine, and I’m all for taking the easier route. I found a sausage that we all enjoy here, so problem solved.
Anna, I can tell you have everything down to a fine art and your cleaning practice sounds good. 🙂 My grinder sits in a box (it is also heavy duty, but seems a bit more fussy than yours to clean, so perhaps not as good.) Grinding one’s own meat is particularly important in certain third world countries where hygiene is sometimes not up to standard. Nowadays in South Africa, it is simply a good idea. My mother and father-in-law make their own over there, I hear.
Sep 13, 2008 @ 16:11:58
One more question, Ron:
Well actually TWO…
1. Do you leave your oven door open or closed when Broiling?
2. Are your burgers well done, med-well, etc after cooking up to 9 mins on each side?
I really don’t cook much, so I need all the help I can get!! 🙂
Thanks!
Sep 13, 2008 @ 16:47:27
Kathy, the oven door is closed during the broiling process. My burgers would be considered medium-well. No pink or red inside, but not even approaching hard and dry that is often associated with burgers. I am still afraid to eat burgers that are still red in the middle. A mad cow I do not want to be!
We made a batch yesterday of about 4 pounds, added 2 eggs some of Emeril’s Essence and a little Celtic Sea Salt. I really liked the texture and the taste. Next time I may try using Montreal Steak Seasoning, one of my favorite spice blends for steak/burgers.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 22:11:13
I need to to thank you for this fantastic read!
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