NO!!! These are not what you are thinking! Get your mind out of the gutter, and focus on this tasty, easy, inexpensive, fun treat.
My mother was the master of frugal meals. She would serve our family of 5 on a tight budget so that we could travel and have adventures during summer vacation — one of the beauties of both parents being educators. Mom also didn’t really LIKE to cook, but would jokingly say that she cooked only to stay out of jail for child neglect. Her crazy, snarky sense of humor — along with her generosity and hospitality — is a trademark.
Mom was born in rural Illinois in 1931, so right in the middle of the Great Depression. She was the second of seven kids and they lived on leased farms, where Grandpa worked as a hired hand. Life was tough, and Mom learned early on how to live on pennies.
Mom moved to Minnesota and met a handsome sailor on Valentine’s Day 1955. They married that August and lived on her teacher’s salary while Dad attended college.
Once kids began to arrive in 1960, Mom and Dad lived on a shoestring during the school year so we could travel during summer vacation.
Knowing how tight finances were, it’s no surprise that Mom could make 1/2 pound of hamburger stretch to feed a family of five. Here’s the deal: we never felt like we were poor or deprived. Our upbringing was rich and filled with love, security, and happiness. Mom started making beef oysters some time in the late 1960’s, most likely based on a recipe found in the newspaper or a magazine.
Since I like to cook once and eat at least twice, I use an entire pound of lean ground beef for this. It makes about 30 beef oysters that reheat easily in a frying pan. One thing I do differently than Mom did is to whir half an onion and several cloves of garlic in the blender or food processor to add flavor to the meat. Since these cook quickly, there just isn’t enough time to make raw onions or garlic soft enough to suit my tastes, and I don’t enjoy biting into a crunchy chunk. Making a mash by either blending the onion and garlic, or by grating them finely, adds wonderful flavor without any rude textures.
Separate the eggs and beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Combine the beef with all the other ingredients, then fold in the whites.
I like using a nonstick frying pan, so that very little fat is added to already lean sources of protein. Avocado oil is my favorite to cook these in, but olive oil works just as well.
Since they are so small, these beef oysters cook pretty quickly. Flip them when they begin to feel firm, and are nice and dark. (Definitely darker than the one in the picture above. 😄) When you finish one batch, keep them warm until you’re ready to serve. Add a salad or starch, and it’s a great meal!
Beef Oysters
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 1x
Description
Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these little beef oysters are loaded with protein, flavor, and FUN.
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 eggs
3 Tbsp oil, divided
Instructions
Separate the eggs. Whip the whites until stiff peaks form.
Grate onion and garlic to a fine mash, or toss them in the blender/food processor. To the yolks, add ground beef, onion/garlic mash, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
Gently fold whites in with meat mixture.
In a large (nonstick) frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbsp oil. Drop small spoonfuls of beef mixture onto the pan, flipping when they are brown.
Continue with remaining meat, adding oil as needed. Keep beef oysters warm until serving. Reheat leftovers in a frying pan.
Notes
Using a nonstick pan reduces how much oil used. However, it’s the hot oil that gives the beef oysters a little crispiness.
1 pound of meat should serve 5-6 people. If you choose to use only 1/2 pound, all ingredients can be divided in half, but use 3 eggs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes for the entire batch
