Nothing makes me happier than a morning of snowshoeing and a lettuce-wrapped protein burger for lunch. Is there a better way to spend a winter’s morning? Snowshoeing may be easy, anyone can do it. It’s like walking but with snowshoes strapped to your snow boots! However, how to make a protein burger is a totally different story.
I have a crazy love for protein burgers. I’m not a huge red meat eater but I could enjoy a lettuce-wrapped protein burger at basically any time of the day. Who has the best protein burger in southern California, you may ask? Either the Whiskey River Burger from Red Robin or the HickoryBurger from Hook Burger in Pasadena. Are you looking for a cheap yet spicy protein burger that is so delicious and you can find it in nearly any town? I swear to you that Carl’s Jr’s El Diablo Burger is a world-class keto spicy delight! And it’s just under ten dollars for a delicious spicy lettuce-wrapped burger! For options how to make a Copy-Cat El Diablo Burger click this link!
How to make a protein burger for dummies
When it comes to how to make a protein burger it should be simple. Just wrap meat in lettuce, add some spices and veggies. Bing Bang boom, keto lunch delight, right? Well, I have been trying to successfully wrap a protein burger for many years. It always turned into a messy disaster. For a long time I just gave up and made burger salad, but I swear, it doesn’t taste as good! Protein burgers are so messy, probably because I like to add all the sauces, but man, there is nothing (Keto at least!) like a good protein burger! In my quest on how to make a protein burger to perfection, I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of blogs. No one seemed to give out any unique information. So I will.
Between snowshoe tours, I watched ten videos this a.m. on how to make the perfect keto lettuce burger. Not one of them from The Food Network to YouTube makes it look simple. Seriously Ree Drummond, stop spreading fake news on how easy it is to have a protein-packed lettuce burger! Sure if you just wrap a plain bison patty in lettuce, okay that would be easy. But that is not my kind of decadent protein burger! If I’m going to give up carbs then I’m going to replace them with bacon, cheeses and lots of sauces. And maybe some spicy pickles. I love me a good protein burger but they are so messy, at least the way I create them.
How to make a protein burger 101
- Use extra lettuce. Wrap up and under the entire burger patty with the lettuce pieces. Don’t be afraid to use a ton of lettuce, especially if you love your burger sauces the way that I do!
- Parchment paper. Make sure after you wrap your whole burger up well, wrap it in parchment paper. Then cut the whole thing in half with a sharp knife. Now you can hold that dripping burger wrapped in parchment paper and hopefully, it won’t fall apart on you!
- The type of lettuce is key. Green-leaf, red-leaf lettuce, butter lettuce or iceberg are the types you want to throw in your shopping cart.
In my opinion, a good protein burger is made with bison. And spicy! Like this fan-favorite Ghost Pepper Bison Protein Burger!
When it comes to, how to make a protein burger, I probably have twenty different protein burger combinations that I love. Sometimes I use Kobe beef. Most often I use ground bison. I’ve been known to use ground lamb as well. These Punjabi-influenced Anglo-Indian Bison Burgers are a spice-loaded delight! Add some Indian ketchup, and a dollop of goat cheese and wrap the whole thing in a layer of green leaf lettuce.
How to make a protein burger ingredients list
For the patty
1 pound of bison ground meat
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon bacon fat
1 shallot, chopped thin
1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped very small
salt and pepper
Mix this all with the bison meat with your hands. Then form the bison into balls. Smash the balls just barely to form perfectly shaped patties. Bake these in an air fryer at 400 for 20-30 minutes, just depending on how well done you like your burgers.
When it comes to how to make a protein burger, follow the steps above but the biggest tip is to use lots of lettuce and also that parchment paper wrap to keep all those sauces inside. Also, here is a big tip on how to make a protein burger, it’s a lot harder to wrap when you are drinking! Seriously, put down the margarita and pick up that head of iceberg over yonder. Trust me, I’m a food blogger!
My favorite Burger toppings
Candied jalapenos
Dave’s Famous Spicy Pickles
Velveeta cheese slices (I know, so processed but so good)
Sliced Reaper cheese
Cooked bacon slices
Your favorite BBQ sauce
Mayonnaise
Iceberg lettuce or green leaf lettuce
Parchment paper (For wrapping your burger)
