# Non-beef meat burgers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 16, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699 "2023-12-16T19:09:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/21 "2023-12-16T20:58:44Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Anyone tried crocodile? I dont know if the USA eats alligator but we very occasionally get crocodile.I bought some about a week ago, mostly so my kids could get bragging rights at school. > > It was smoked and tasted kind of like ham, nothing like the fresh crocodile I have tried. Very fishy, fairly tough. Worth it once, though Alligator is a common novelty meat in the US southeast. Often served as an appetizer of small nuggets breaded and deep fried. Frankly rather innocuous; the breading and frying overwhelms the not-very flavorful meat. Which is usually kinda chewy unless it’s ground. And if ground, you have no clue what else might be added in. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/22 "2023-12-16T20:58:45Z")
Salmon is expensive here, but hey, it is Christmas. That looks amazing, and my kids are into cooking with me. Looks like a great project. I think the most exotic burger I have tried is Oryx (also known as Gemsbok) in Namibia. Delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/23 "2023-12-16T21:08:01Z")
Bacon burgers are a thing (I mean patties made from ground bacon, not just bacon as a topping in the sandwich). I’ve not seen them at any sort of mainstream fast food place, but they occasionally pop up at independent restaurants and they can be really good. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/24 "2023-12-16T21:16:14Z")
Oh, wow. I have about 1kg of artisan bacon living in my freezer and I had no idea what to do with it. Now I do. I’ll keep about half until someone suggests something to do with the other 1/2 kg of bacon. I even have the perfect cheese for the burgers from some artisinal shop. Did I say artisan too many times? I’m not a hipster but I support local small business. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/25 "2023-12-16T21:20:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Are you cooking these at home, or getting them out? > > I ask because one of my pet peeves is that in most restaurant kitchens, the vast majority of food that goes on an open-grid grill or the sorta misnamed large flat-plate grill is made from beef. With the result that the cooked-on residues are beef-flavored. And is some cases they use a bieef-flavored grill lubricant / oil. Both? Denver, CO (generally an 70ish minute drive up the interstate from me) used to have an all-pig-based (and yes, they had the Simpson’s quote up in the common area) restaurant called The Berkshire that had a number of wonderful dishes, including ground pork burgers. So they had none of those issues, however, they closed a year or so before COVID. Otherwise, no, I’m mostly making them at home on my cast-iron or stainless steel cookware depending on what I’m making. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Alligator is a common novelty meat in the US southeast. > > Often served as an appetizer of small nuggets breaded and deep fried. Frankly rather innocuous; the breading and frying overwhelms the not-very flavorful meat. Which is usually kinda chewy unless it’s ground. And if ground, you have no clue what else might be added in. I’ve had alligator as well and agree with the above. To me at least, it tastes like a very mild, fishy chicken. Really a novelty, rather than a useful flavor profile. And as pointed out above, if you didn’t know what it was, you’d probably consider it some form of chicken that maybe was starting to go off. The two ways I’ve had it was fish-fry style (cornmeal dredge with Cajun seasonings), the second time it was with a bunch of other meats (small chunks) in a gumbo. So, not like I was eating it in any format where it’s own flavor stood out. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/26 "2023-12-16T21:26:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve never seen a ground pork burger. I had a summer job at a YWCA camp in Western Massachusetts circa 1977. Our chef was pretty good (he was also an asshole, but that’s a different story). He made some kind of pork burger that was fabulous - laden with spices, crispy on the edges, and pretty salty (in a good way). Yum. We used to very happy when those showed up for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/27 "2023-12-16T21:29:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > **Pork.** I’ve never seen a ground pork burger. A local gourmet burger joint had a 50/50 pork and beef burger, and it was great! When my Dad was serving in Australia during the War he complained places were trying to substitute mutton for beef in the burgers. > [@Jophiel](#): > > A place near here sells a wild boar burger Wild boar is one of the few meats that the FDA says often had trichinosis. Make sure it’s well cooked. > [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t a bison genetically close enough to a cow that whatever allergy a person could have to beef would also be present in bison meat as well? Yeah, that’s what I thought, but maybe it’s not beef but some chemical they put in the feedlot beef? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/28 "2023-12-16T21:39:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Trader Joe’s Mahi-Mahi Burgers and Shrimp Burgers are good, but you mostly taste the seasoning… Speaking of, I sprinkle the Mahi-Mahi burgers with Montreal Steak Seasoning. On a ciabatta roll with lettuce, tomato, a Claussen dill slice or two and some mustard aioli…yum! ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/29 "2023-12-16T21:43:11Z")
Has it got to the point where we can talk about the bun? I make my own, with a 33% rye, 33% whole meal and 34% plain white flour. I use sour dough, so no sugar. The rye especially gives flavour, and the slightly sour roll accentuates many burger styles (I like mine with strong cheese and chilli sauce) A burger is a burger. You can have a keto diet/no carbs version but I do not believe what you are eating is a burger unless it has bread involved. And pickles. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/30 "2023-12-16T21:53:04Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > If you try to use deer or elk as ground meat without adding beef fat back in, you end up with dry, crumbly, mealy, fall apart burger. That is probably why my experience with venison burgers was so sub-par. The burgers were dry and crumbly. To be fair my family was gifted the venison when I was child and neither parent had any experience cooking with it., ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/31 "2023-12-16T22:12:41Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’ve had alligator as well and agree with the above. To me at least, it tastes like a very mild, fishy chicken. Yes, I had alligator tail made into fried nuggets and served with an orange marmalade. I thought it was pretty good actually. I’d have it again. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Often served as an appetizer of small nuggets breaded and deep fried. That was exactly how it was made. It was some kind of food festival at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO back in 2000. > [@Banksiaman](#): > > Kangaroo is another very low-fat meat which only works in a burger with additional fat and fillers. I want to enjoy eating our national animal but have been disappointed by it’s lack of flavour each time. I also had kangaroo at the same festival and it was horrible. It was not served as you described. It was served like you’d serve roast beef. Just a well-done chunk of solid meat. It was tough and gamy. Like trying to eat particularly foul-tasting leather. I’m sure whoever cooked it had no clue what they were doing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/32 "2023-12-16T22:32:58Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > A burger is a burger. You can have a keto diet/no carbs version but I do not believe what you are eating is a burger unless it has bread involved. And pickles. That’s funny. To me it’s a burger if it’s made of ground up critters. If the meat isn’t ground, it might be a hot sandwich but it’s not a “burger”. To me the bread is totally immaterial and I usually don’t have any on my burgers. IMO one POV is no more valid than the other; it takes all kinds to eat all the yummy stuff humans know how to make. _Bon apetit!_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/33 "2023-12-16T22:49:19Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Is that a “burger” or not per the OP’s terms? > > Not the OP but to me a burger has ground meat. I’m inclined to agree with @Atamasama. I count Filet-O-Fish because the fish is chopped and formed, so basically ‘ground’. An unprocessed slab-o-fish is, to me, a ‘fish sandwich’. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Anyone tried crocodile? I dont know if the USA eats alligator but we very occasionally get crocodile. We have alligator here, but never as burgers. As others noted, they’re chunks that are usually served with a dipping sauce, or as sausages. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Salmon is expensive here Pretty cheap here, depending on where you get it. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Has it got to the point where we can talk about the bun? … > > You can have a keto diet/no carbs version but I do not believe what you are eating is a burger unless it has bread involved. Buns are a special treat for me. My ‘burgers’ are usually on low-carb multi-grain bread. (The heels, if I’m lucky.) I bought a pound of ground bison, and a pound of ground lamb today. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/34 "2023-12-16T22:56:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I count Filet-O-Fish because the fish is chopped and formed, so basically ‘ground’. It’s not, it’s a breaded filet of wild caught Alaskan pollock. Peel off the breading or just look at it when you bite it, you can tell it’s an actual filet, the way it flakes apart. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/35 "2023-12-16T23:06:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s not, it’s a breaded filet of wild caught Alaskan pollock. Peel off the breading or just look at it when you bite it, you can tell it’s an actual filet, the way it flakes apart. It’s been many years since I had one, but they always looked processed to me. Also, the patties seem to be too uniform in shape, size, and thickness to be unprocessed. If I’m wrong, I’ll still allow it as a special exception because it _appears_ to be processed. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/36 "2023-12-16T23:21:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Also, the patties seem to be too uniform in shape, size, and thickness to be unprocessed. I think they just cut it into a uniform rectangle shape. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/37 "2023-12-16T23:27:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > Fresh rosemary infused lamb patty, goat cheese, grilled red onions, curry aioli, toasted bun > > I get it without the onions though, I have trouble digesting onions and they make me ill. Looks like I have everything for the aioli. I’ve got Madras curry powder, hot curry powder, and garam masala. I think I’ll use the Madras. I do need to get keto buns and a red onion. Raw onions bother The Wife’s stomach (especially red ones), but she’s usually OK with grilled ones. Trader Joe’s had chèvre goat cheese. Three or four different kinds. That’s the only goat cheese I found. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/38 "2023-12-16T23:28:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > **Pork.** I’ve never seen a ground pork burger. There’s a variety of burger patty, a “brat burger” (“brat” pronounced to rhyme with “cot,” not “cat”) made from bratwurst sausage meat (which, in the U.S., is typically ground pork meat with seasonings) Brat burgers are popular in Wisconsin, and can often be found at local restaurants and butcher shops. Johnsonville sells a frozen patty line, “[Grillers](https://johnsonville.com/product-lines/grillers-sausage-patties/),” which are bratwurst patties. I have, for several years now, hoped to be able to meet up with @Qadgop_the_Mercotan for brat burgers up in Wisconsin. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/39 "2023-12-16T23:29:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That’s funny. To me it’s a burger if it’s made of ground up critters. If the meat isn’t ground, it might be a hot sandwich but it’s not a “burger”. Complete agreement. Bison burgers slightly preferable to beef. Venison burgers were good but nothing special; basically had because a coworker’s husband hunts and most of a deer is better ground than as steaks and he had extra to give away. Ostrich I’ve eaten as fillets on the grill rare. Not worth the premium to do as a burger. Same with many other game meats, including kangaroo, boar, elk. Local grocery store does sell ground elk though. I’d rather have my salmon as a fillet. Lamb burgers with mint topped with feta are yummy. Turkey burgers boring. Oh. Eta. My office partner swears by ground brisket burgers smoked. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699/40 "2023-12-16T23:36:09Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t a bison genetically close enough to a cow that whatever allergy a person could have to beef would also be present in bison meat as well? Bison are genetically distinct from domestic cows. They are both family _Bovidae_ but bison are _Bison bison_ and cows/beef are _Bos taurus_. So… quite plausible you could be allergic to one and not the other. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-beef-meat-burgers/994699.md?page=3)