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Ernest Hemingway Mid 20th Century dinner medium

Heming 2 Ways

Hemingway's real hamburger recipe from the JFK Presidential Library archives, made two ways — the Papa Burger as he typed it, and the Wild West Burger with additions scrawled in the margins by his wife Mary.

Heming 2 Ways
Prep: 35 min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 4
#burger #beef #american #archive-recipe #historical

Background

Hemingway’s personal hamburger recipe was found in the JFK Presidential Library archives. It is not a simple burger — it calls for homemade spice blends, freshly minced meat, and a 20-minute marinating rest. His wife Mary then scrawled her own additions in the margins, adding six more ingredients to the base patty and pushing the ingredient count from 10 to 16.

Homemade Spice Blends

Beau Monde

Mix together: 1 part celery seed (crushed), 1 part onion powder, 2 parts fine salt, and a pinch of sugar.

Mei Yen

Mix together: 4½ tsp salt, 4½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp MSG. (This makes roughly half a batch — the full recipe produces far more than you’ll need.)

The Papa Burger (Hemingway’s original)

  1. Mince the meat fresh. Cut the chuck steak into small pieces and mince just before cooking. Do not use pre-packed mince — bacteria from the surface of multiple cuts gets mixed through during commercial grinding, making it unsafe to eat pink. Freshly minced meat from a single cut is safe to cook with a pink centre.

  2. Break up the meat with a fork in a large bowl. Scatter the garlic, green onions, and dry seasonings (sage, Beau Monde, Mei Yen) over the meat. Mix with a fork or your fingers.

  3. Rest for 10–15 minutes at room temperature.

  4. Add the piccalilli, capers, egg, and wine. Mix again. Let the mixture rest for another 10 minutes.

  5. Divide the mixture in half. One half becomes the Papa Burgers. Set aside and shape into 2 patties, roughly 1 inch thick.

The Wild West Burger (Mary’s version)

  1. To the remaining half, add the grated apple, grated carrot, chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped ham, grated cheddar, and finely chopped parsley. Mix until evenly distributed. The mixture will be very wet — roughly a 1:1 ratio of meat to everything else.

  2. Shape into 2 patties, roughly 1 inch thick.

Cooking (both versions)

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan until hot but not smoking. Add patties, turn the heat down, and cook for 4 minutes.

  2. Remove the pan from the heat. Turn the heat to high. Flip the burgers, return to the hob, cook for 1 minute, then reduce heat and cook a final 3 minutes.

  3. Both sides should be crispy brown with a pink, juicy centre. Place a slice of American cheese on each patty while resting to melt.

Burger Sauce

  1. Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and pickle juice. Mix well.

Build

  1. Spread sauce on both toasted bun halves. Layer with gherkins, lettuce, sliced tomato, and onion on the bottom bun. Add the cheese-topped patty. Close with the sauced top bun.

Verdict

The Wild West Burger is wetter and more confused — the individual additions don’t really come through as distinct flavours, just extra moisture and body. The Papa Burger is the winner, especially dressed. But is it better than a regular burger given all the extra effort? No. No it isn’t.