RECIPE: Burgers Aren't Boring

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posted on

October 10, 2020

Forget boring burgers. At home you can use your creativity and whatever you happen to have in the fridge to make them a smorgasboard!

Ingredients:

~¼ lb ground meat per person (Ground Beef, Ground Pork, and Ground Lamb all make great burgers)
A little oil for the pan
Underpinnings- Bun or consider substituting rice noodles, riced cauliflower or greens
Toppings- limited only by your imagination: fried egg, grapes, mushrooms, bacon, caramelized onions, broiled pineapple, micro greens, fun cheeses
Sauces- mustard, pesto, BBQ sauce, fun aioli, horseradish, blue cheese, on and on...

Tools:

Meat thermometer

Instructions:

Thaw your ground meat.
Make patties. I use 100% meat (no need to add eggs, wheat or other binder as I see in other recipes). I use a small handful for slider-sized snacks or a heaping handful for dinner. Your patty should be flat and have the same thickness all the way across. A patty that is thin on the ends and fat in the center like a foot ball won't cook evenly. Additionally it will plump up as it cooks, making it more of a meat ball than a patty that fits nicely on a bun.
Get your pan hot with a little oil and then add the patty. Use a spatula to squish the patty relatively flat as it cooks, so it cooks all the way through.
Let it cook for a couple minutes, then flip for another couple minutes. Use the spatula to squish it flat again after each flip. Keep flipping every few minutes until the juices are clear.
Cook to desired internal temperature:

Rare

Medium Rare

Medium Well

Well Done

Remove from heat, rest the meat for 10 minutes.
Dress your burger with creativity and enjoy!

With so many options for toppings, when you make your burger you get to decide if you are going to:

1) Keep it traditional

2) Make it Asian

3) Include some fruit

4) Spice it up with chili

5) Keep it dainty

6) Bury it with toppings

(I promise there is a burger under there somewhere!)

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RECIPE: Homemade Corned Beef

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Bulk Buying Basics: How Much Meat Does My Family Need?

If you've ever tried shopping for a quarter beef or half hog and wondered, "How much is that and how long will it feed my family?"...you’re not alone! For many households, especially those with growing kids, buying meat in bulk from a local rancher sounds great… until the logistics get fuzzy. At Ramstead, we’re here to make bulk buying make sense. This is your go-to guide for understanding portions, freezer space, and how to plan for your family’s real-life needs without overbuying or overthinking it. Scroll down to find the family size that most closely matches yours, and read the details to find your best fit bulk order size. 🥓 Family of 2: 2 Adults or 1 Adult + 1 Teen Let’s assume: You each eat ~0.6 lbs of meat per meal You cook meat 4–5 times per week That’s 1.2 lbs per meal, and here are your planning needs: Weekly total: 5–6 lbs Monthly total: 20–25 lbs What Should You Order? For smaller households, we offer bulk portions that allow you to save while you stock up without overrunning your freezer space: 1/8 Beef (36 lbs): 2 months 1/4 Pig (26 lbs): 1.5 months Whole chicken (~4.5 lbs each): Plan for two meals per bird plus leftovers 🧠 Smart 3-month bulk combo for 2: 1/8 Beef (36 lbs) 1/4 Pig (26 lbs) 2–4 Whole chickens or as needed for extras ✅ Total Meat: 70 - 80 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: 4–5 cu. ft. 💡 Great for smaller families who cook 4–5 nights a week and want variety across ground beef, steaks, roasts, chops, bacon, and sausage. 👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family of 4: 2 Adults + 2 Young Kids Let’s say your family eats pasture-raised meat 4–5 times per week. Adults eat about 0.6 lbs of meat per meal Young kids eat about 0.3 lbs per meal That’s about 1.8 lbs per meal for the whole family: Weekly total: 8 lbs Monthly total: 24–35 lbs What Should You Order? You have options depending on how often you want to restock: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs): 2–3 months 1/2 Pig (55 lbs): 3–5 months 20 Whole chickens (at 4.5 lbs each): 2.5–4 months 🧠 Smart 3-month combo for your family: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs) 1/4 Pig (26 lbs) 2–4 Whole chickens, or as needed to fill in ✅ Total Meat: 105 - 110 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: 6–7 cu. ft. 💡 This combo covers three months easily, with cuts to please both picky eaters and weekend cooks. Think burgers, meatballs, bacon breakfast, and slow-cooked roasts.👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page 🍔 Family of 4: 2 Adults + 2 Teenagers Teenagers can easily match or surpass adult appetites. Each person (adult or teen) eats ~0.6 lbs That’s 2.4 lbs per meal for the family: Weekly total: 10–11 lbs Monthly total: 40–46 lbs What Should You Order? Here are some popular portions and how long they’ll last your family: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs): 1.5 months 1/2 Beef (145 lbs): 3 months Whole Pig (109 lbs): 2.5 months 30 Whole chickens (at 4.5 lbs each): 3 months 🧠 Smart 3-month bulk combo for you: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs) 1/2 Pig (55 lbs) 3–8 Whole chickens or as needed for fill in ✅ Total Meat: ~140 - 155 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: ~8–9 cu. ft. 💡 This is a robust combo for hearty teen appetites. You’ll have plenty of ground beef for weeknights, roasts for Sunday dinner, bacon for big breakfasts, and sausage for quick protein boosts. Pro-tip: Add whole chickens as needed for sports seasons when appetites are at their peak!👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page A Final Note As you can likely guess, the amount of time these portions last your family will vary based on demand. This guide is a great starting point to help you understand what it takes to feed our most common family combos with a typical meat-eating schedule. We hope this helps with your planning, and if you have specific questions or want to know more, as always, please contact us. We are real humans here 😆, and we’re happy to help!