Mark's 100% Organic Big Mak

This isn’t a “let's bash McDondald's” post. I (Mark) happen to enjoy McDonald’s on occasion. Admittedly they make fries and burgers in mass quantities, but there are healthier food choices on their menu. There's even a teacher who lost 56 pounds on a McDonald's diet to prove it. (Although, for the record, you won't find this on Pam's plan.)

I really just did this for the fun it. I’ve made homemade Big Macs for my kids before, but never one that was 100% organic. I went to Whole Foods and bought all organic ingredients from the beef to the condiments. The only organic bun option was Rudi’s brand, and I didn’t love it. It was little too dry and crumbly. A good burger needs a squishy, fresh bun. The Nature’s Rancher Australian beef was delicious. It has a suitable 85 to 15 beef to fat ratio. Most chefs recommend a 20% fat content for burgers. I was surprised at how much I liked the 365 brand light mayo. It was super tangy. My Whole Foods bill came to $38. At 5 ounces of beef per burger that makes 3 burgers with buns and plenty of condiments left over.

So is my delicious looking homemade Big Mak healthier than the real Big Mac? The answer might surprise you. While my burger is 100% organic the real Big Mac actually has slightly better nutritional stats. Say what?! My Big Mak totaled roughly 690 calories, 141 calories more than the real Big Mac. And the Big Mac has slightly more fiber. Here’s my theory. My burger was more calories because… A) I used 5 oz. of beef and McD’s probably uses 4. And B) I’m counting the raw beef calories prior to cooking off some of the fat. Could that be the 141 calorie difference? I’m not quite sure. Below are the stats for both burgers. In case you were wondering, our boys gave the organic Big Mak the thumbs up.

Mark’s Organic Big Mak

690 Total calories

38 grams of fat, 11 of those saturated

35 grams of protein

46 carbohydrates

1.5 grams fiber

McDonald’s Big Mac

549 calories

29 grams of fat, 10 of those saturated

25 grams of protein

46 carbohydrates

3 grams of fiber

Ingredients

5 oz organic beef
1 organic hamburger bun
1 slice organic American cheese
1/3 cup shredded organic heart of romaine lettuce
Organic burger pickles

Special Sauce

Instructions

In a bowl mix together the special sauce ingredients. I used 1.5 T of total sauce to dress the finished burger.
Add 2 tsp mayo to 1 pound of ground beef and mix thoroughly. This helps make the burgers juicer and more crumbly.
Form 2 - 2 ½ oz. burger paddies. Flatten them out thin and wide since they’ll shrink up after cooking. Sprinkle one side of the burgers with salt.
Cook the burgers in a frying pan roughly 2 minutes a side. They’ll cook quickly.
Salt again after the first flip.
Toast your bun and the bottom portion of a second bun. This will be your middle bread.
Top bottom portion of the bun with cheese, then sauce, then lettuce, then first patty. Top with the middle bread. Add more sauce, lettuce, pickles followed by second burger. Voila.