Hamburger Steak | A Retro Recipe

Hamburger Steak | Mom’s 1950s Recipe

This is the JUICIEST Hamburger Steak Recipe From The 1950s, courtesy of my Mom!

Today we’re making the juiciest hamburger steak recipe from the 1950s. Mom created this recipe when she was in high school, and she created it for her dad. And when he tasted it, he said, “You should start your own restaurant, Carolyn.”

Hamburger Steak | The Steaks

We need to start with 2 lbs of ground beef in a large bowl. And we are using 93% lean, but you may choose whatever leanness you like.

Then, we’re going to add a half a cup of milk. You may choose whatever percentage you’d like, but we’re going to go with skim milk today.

Now, we’re going to add one egg into a separate bowl and whisk it well. Add the egg into the meat mixture.

Now add four teaspoons of Worchestershire sauce, 2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper.

Now mix it all together. I am going to use a Dutch whisk today, which allows me to really mix this well, including the eggs, without anything getting stuck in the spokes of a standard whisk. It also breaks things up better than a wooden utensil. This is just an awesome staple in my kitchen.

After you’ve got it really mixed really well, cover it and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator. You don’t have to marinate it, but it brings out the flavor.

Hamburger Steak | Tomato Garlic Sauce

Well, our beef has chilled overnight, but before we make the steaks, we need to make that special sauce that goes with them. It’s a tomato garlic sauce, and it is so awesome. It totally compliments the steaks.

So, we start by using a garlic press to grate one clove of garlic. You can just grate it right into the pan. Then, we’ll turn on the induction cooktop to low.

We’re going to add 1 tbsp of butter until it melts. We mix it in there. Then we add 2 tablebsp of flour. We cook it through while we’re stirring it constantly. We’re making a roux. What you have to do is cook the flour so it loses the flour taste.

Let’s add one cup of tomato juice. And then you keep stirring it. You stir it until it starts to thicken. It has to thicken first before you add anything else to it. And you want to get all those lumps out first before you add the other ingredients.

Okay, now we’re going to add one tablespoon of ketchup. And now one teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce. And then just a little salt and pepper to taste.

I’m using a silicone coated whisk today. It works perfectly on non-stick pans where using a stainless steel whisk is a bad idea. These silicone whisk don’t damage your pans, which is fantastic.

Now, you don’t want this mixture to boil, so take it off the heat before that happens. So, now we’ll just set this to the side and we are ready to make our hamburger steaks.

Hamburger Steak | Cooking The Steaks

We are going to be making our steaks in a skillet. And I should note that we’re using Mom’s original recipe today, but we’re updating the method of cooking she originally made this in her oven’s broiler for a special reason.

Her dad’s doctor said that he needed to eat less fat. And the butcher didn’t have lean ground beef. It was probably 70% lean at the time, which  tasted good, but wasn’t good for her Dad’s health.

If you wanted ground beef to be low fat, you had to broil it and let the fat drip away.  

I’m really grateful that we have so many different choices of lean ground beef now, so we don’t have to use the broiler.

So, we can really have some fun today and we’re going to grill it on our skillet. And we’re going to use something really special today. You don’t have to use this, but it really ups the hamburger steak game.

I’m using a Cuisinart Cast Iron Grill Press, and a lot of people use these in their outdoor cookers, but you can also use it indoors as well.

Now, you should always check your grill press to see if it’s compatible with your stove top’s method of heating. We have gas, so you just set your grill press on the back burner for safety, and then you turn it on to high. You heat it up for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, we’re going to make our patties. So, this recipe makes between six to eight patties, depending on how large you make them. We’re going to make two patties right now.

So, I like to roll it into a ball and then kind of smush it, pat it, and then kind of round the edges out. And then you get them nice and round and flat.

And then we put one down in the skillet. Now, this is really important. So, you’re going to spray the top of your pan and the top of the patties.

And then you’re going to also spray the grill press. This is very important.

Let’s sear our first side by pressing down. This grill press allows me to sear 2 hamburger steaks at a time. We’re just going to let the grill press sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side and let it sear.

Then put the grill press back on the burner and turn the burner back on to keep it hot while we flip the burgers.

Then repeat the process on the other side. Again, we’re going to spray the burgers and we’re going to spray the grill press, then press down on both burgers at the same time for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. So, we’re basically searing the outside. 

Then we go ahead and we put the grill press back on the back burner. Turn on the back burner because we’re going to use this grill press again.

Now, turn your cook top on to medium and allow the steaks to cook through. And these really just take a few minutes per side. Then you flip them.

And now at this point, we’re going to get our grill press again and press down on them. And this just ensures that they just look gorgeous on top of everything else.

Hamburger Steak | How Does It Taste?

After you’ve cooked them, add the tomato garlic sauce to the top, or put it in a ramekin to the side of your plate.

This Hamburger Steak looks delicious. But how does it taste? This is amazing. You have got to try this.

You know what? My Mom should have opened her own restaurant, with a recipe like this! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you want to explore an awesome dessert that is also a retro recipe, consider Mom’s Coffee Toffee Bars!