Burgers made in the United States are pretty simple: take ground meat, form into patties, season with salt and pepper. Then cook the burgers to your desired temperature.
Burgers made in Canada are not that simple: take ground meat, mix it with ingredients to make the meat juicier (allegedly), form into patties, and season with salt later.
The "Americans" reading this might be thinking, "that is for meatballs or meatloaf, not hamburgers." Canadians would disagree.
Mary Berg demonstrated this on Mary Makes It Easy on CTV Life Channel in Canada and Food Network in the United States in Season 2, Episode 24: Back to the BBQ.
Berg made a fancier version of a panade, using a nice sandwich bread (no crusts) and red wine. Traditionally, a panade is a simple mix of milk and bread. Again, this is ideal for meatloaf in the States and burgers in Canada.
Berg also incorporated chives and garlic along with the pepper with 600 grams (1.32 pounds) of meat. "The perfect thing to keep your burgers super juicy," said Berg.
She made brie and pancetta burgers topped with chunky grilled red onion. These are not typical burgers for Canadians: this was an upscale burger recipe.
Why do Berg and other Canadians add a panade to simple burger meat?
There are 5 traditional outcomes for a burger: rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well-done. The law in Canada requires an outcome of 71°C (160°F), defined as well-done.
A burger cooked to 71°C (160°F) would taste rather dry and lifeless. The cow died the first time: Why are we killing it again?
Your humble narrator has had quite a few burgers in Canada. Does the panade magic make the burger juicy? Our well-researched opinion is no. We haven't tried red wine in a panade. A Canadian burger is edible with lots of toppings. You might as well be eating a turkey burger at that point. Turkey does need a higher temperature so they usually are dry.
Canadian beef taste test: well-done vs. medium-rare
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We love Canadians and Canada. We love medium-rare burgers more. Canadians can buy good quality meat and bring that home to cook the burgers to their desired temperature. We have noted that there are exceptions if a restaurant grinds its own meat.
I ran into a place in Windsor in 2022 that grinded its own meat yet wouldn't cook a burger medium-rare. The law allows for an exception but restaurants aren't required to follow that exception.
If I had money, time, etc., I would create a Green Book for tourists and Canadians to find places that will serve a medium-rare burger. A friend in Toronto helped me find a place in the Danforth neighbourhood that was honestly the best burger I have had in Canada.
(The Green Book comparison can be offensive [no offense is intended] and we are sorry for any hurt feelings. Places that serve a medium-rare burger almost need to be secret about that in Canada.)
When I was a child, the males in the household loved medium-rare for burgers. We joked that my mother's burgers could be left on the grill for a long time. She didn't disagree.
Maybe you enjoy a well-done burger, sincerely. The world is made up of different people. If you do enjoy a well-done burger, you might be better off with a turkey burger or even a vegan burger. If you insist on using a beautiful dead cow for your burger, consider a panade to give some flavor (or flavour in Canada). A meatloaf burger or meatball burger might appeal to that audience.
If you are averse to using red wine, which is perfectly fine, the recipe offers beef stock or milk as alternatives.
A Canadian burger could go well with poutine, a combo of French fries, squeaky white cheese curds, and brown gravy over the top of both.
BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage
The premise behind the Canadian law and most practices in the United States is that the burger meat might come from more than a single cow. Steaks don't have this issue even in Canada since the steak comes from a single cow.
Burger meat from multiple cows: this sounds like a worse problem than temperature of a burger.
Trust your meat. Know your farmer. Cook it for yourself, especially in Canada. You have to work harder to get a burger cooked to your temperature. If you like a well-done burger, you can eat almost anywhere in both countries.
photo credit: CTV Life Channel/Food Network
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