Tiana Walters 
Don’t put up the grill just yet! These Hamburgers with Animal Sauce and Iceberg Lettuce Buns will change the way you do a burger night. Burgers are quintessential American food but what comes with it is all that bloat. UGH! So instead, opt for a lettuce bun and up your sauce game! This recipe comes with an animal sauce. If you are not familiar with the animal sauce, it’s California’s version of 1000 island. It was made famous by In-N-Out Burger. It is delicious, and I won’t tell if you dip your fries in it too.
How to Cut Lettuce for Buns
It’s pretty easy. Start by placing a large iceberg lettuce stalk side down. Cut into thirds. The outer thirds are your lettuce buns! I peel them apart and split them up. Depending on size, anywhere from 2-4. I reuse the middle third into sandwiches and salads throughout the week.
Iceberg lettuce is preferred for lettuce buns as they have a cool crunch and hold the patty in place. What also helps is wrapping the burgers in wax paper before serving.
Classic Burger Toppings
Health food is not boring REPEAT! Health food is not boring. If it is your doing it wrong. These Hamburgers with Animal Sauce and Iceberg Lettuce Buns are excellent because they have loads of texture and flavor, anything but boring!! Feel free to customize to your liking.
- Bacon
- Pickles
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Onion
- Crisp Iceberg Lettuce
- Grass-Fed Ground Chuck
- Animal Sauce
- Extra Fries for mopping up the sauce, DUH!
Burger Meal Prep and Storage
Want to know one of my favorite tricks? Grill burgers in bulk and freeze them for later use. The best way to reheat is to heat a pan on medium and add some ghee. Flip once, cook till warm. Ok, this one is super lazy, but you can totally reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and have a grilled burger anytime! Great for family vacations and meal prep.
Store these hamburger patties for up to 3 days in the fridge for maximum freshness and 3 months in the freezer. The sauce lasts longer about a week in the refrigerator.
Yes, Healthy Burgers Are a Real Thing…
- Gluten-Free
- Sugar-Free
- Organic
- Grass-Fed
- Low Carb
- Whole 30
- Keto
Check out another favorite for dinner Barbacoa Tacos
If you make this recipe, please be sure to tag me on IG @love.your.taste.buds and please rate or comment on the recipe below. Your support helps my food get into other people’s hands. Thank you, and enjoy!
Hamburgers with Animal Sauce and Iceberg Lettuce Buns
Equipment
- Grill
- Immersion blender or small food proccessor
Ingredients
Hamburgers
- 2 lb grass-fed ground chuck
- 8 strips bacon cooked
- 2 heads iceberg lettuce
- 1 beefsteak tomato
- pickle chips
- onion sliced
Animal Sauce
- 1-2 tbsp dill relish
- 1 tbsp worcestershire
- 1 tsp dijon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp harrissa
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt to taste
- 1 egg
- 1/2-1 cup extra light olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
Animal Sauce
- Combine all ingredients into a wide mouth pint sized mason jar.
- Place immersion blender in a mason jar and cover the egg. Blend while pulling up slowly. Continue to blend until all ingredients are incorporated, and your sauce has thickened. Place in fridge until ready to use. Can be made a day ahead of time and stored for a week.
Hamburgers
- Start by laying out a baking sheet with parchment paper, working quickly separate hamburgers into 1/8th. Roll meat into a ball, slap between your hands a few times, and then flatten into a patty that is 1 1/2 inches thick. Place on parchment.
- Tips:To help burgers cook evenly on the grill, make an indent with your thumb in the middle of the patty. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.Suppose your hamburger meat has become too warm while handling, it will fall apart on the grill. You will be able to tell if its not holding shape well. My tip, stick in the freezer while you prep the rest of your ingredients.To get perfectly uniform patties, use a large jar lid. After working the meat, press into the lid and flip.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat approximetly 375-400 degrees.
- Pull burgers and season well with salt and cracked black pepper.
- Once the grill has preheated, make sure to clean the grates and brush them with avocado oil. Place burgers on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side, only flipping once! And for the love of God, don't press your spatula down on the burger. The sizzle sounds cool but remember, that is the sound of all the juices evaporating. Nobody wants a dry burger.
- Cut iceberg lettuce into thirds and use the outer two thirds to make burger buns. Assemble burgers and serve. Store burgers in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a quick and yummy meal!
