The flavour of these burgers is the same as what they served at the hockey arena, although without the rink ambience
You go through the big double doors and see the usual friendly faces. They greet you and you greet them. From habit, your eyes swing to the canteen.
There’s something about the flavour of a hamburger in the arena — the rink burger. Was it the loud conversation and bad breath in your face? Standing in puddles of melted snow? The odour of sweaty jerseys and old wood? What was it that enhanced the flavour? Or was it the fact that you always sat in the bleachers watching the kids do their thing with people you never saw at any other time?
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Or maybe it was the great burgers after all.
My kids have long ago outgrown the kids’ programs at the rink and it has been ages since I sat in bleachers balancing a plate of burger and fries on my knee while catching up with other parents, but I have a secret weapon for times when nostalgia hits me. I have the recipe for arena burgers.
Back in the days when the arena women gathered around a table to mix up a batch of hamburger patties to store in one of the big freezers, I copied the recipe and took it home. Now once a year or so, I mix up a batch to squirrel away in my own freezer.
While eating one at home, the subdued atmosphere is quieter, cleaner and less smelly, but the flavour of the hamburgers is the same, minus the rink ambiance.
These are almost like the old days in the arena. No kidding, no commercially prepared patties can compete.
- 12 lb. lean groundbeef 5.44 kg
- 1 bag bread crumbs (use your judgment;I use about 200 g)
- 1/2 can evaporatedmilk approx. 180 mL
- 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 45 mL
- 1 tbsp. pepper 15 mL
- 2 tbsp. salt 30 mL
Form into patties and freeze on cookie sheets lined with wax paper. The next day, cut the wax paper apart and store in double bags (two bags help prevent freezer burn). The wax paper makes it easier to separate the frozen patties when you want to remove them. Thaw in a single layer before cooking.
