Hot and cold smoking of cheese, details of the work

We all have the same associations when we mention Caucasian cuisine: a lot of spices and herbs, pungency and spiciness. However, few people know that the Caucasian peoples are real masters in balancing taste. They are famous for their special ability to combine spicy meat dishes with delicate and soft cheeses. One of the most famous Caucasian cheeses is Adyghe cheese, which was named after its birthplace - the Republic of Adygea - and has gained enormous popularity in Russia.

Adyghe cheese today can be found on any store shelves in the country. One of the reasons for such prevalence and accessibility is the simplicity of the technology and high profitability.

Healthy cheese

Smoked cheese is widely used in cooking; it is an indispensable ingredient in the preparation of salads, sandwiches, pizza and other snacks. The whole difficulty of working with this dairy product is its short shelf life. Sometimes the inept actions of a novice amateur lead to damage to the cheese. No amount of effort will help if a certain type of cheese is unsuitable for smoking. All that remains is to rely on the right choice when purchasing or manufacturing a product.

The history of the emergence of a new dish in the form of smoked cheese is quite contradictory.

• On the one hand, it is known that in Ancient Greece smoking was widely used as a way to extend the shelf life of various products.
• On the other hand, the inhabitants of Denmark rightly believe that they are the only bearers of secret traditions that allow them to properly prepare processed smoked cheese.

Today there are many known methods of hot and cold smoking of a product, but they were discovered only thanks to the variety of milk processing results that are presented in any store.

When discussing the benefits of cheese, including smoked cheese, for the body, it should be noted that it is a real storehouse of substances such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Despite the fact that there is no official confirmation, practice shows the strengthening of bone tissue, nails and hair with regular consumption of cheese. It is also rich in acids and protein, and there are no carbohydrates in dairy products, so they are often found in the diet of many diets. The given data is subject to one mandatory condition - the cheeses must be natural.

The downside of smoked products is characterized by the negative consequences of exposure to smoke. Recently, it has become the norm to follow a healthy diet, since the consumer basket is represented by artificial products, full of preservatives and substitutes. In light of this attitude, consumer concerns become understandable.

Carcinogens released during the combustion of any fuel, according to scientists, are the cause of the development of many diseases, including oncogenic ones. We will not deny this fact, since it exists. But smoking of cheese is always short-term, and therefore, of all products processed with natural smoke, cheese is the safest.

As for the calorie content, it averages 350 kcal, which is quite a high figure, but do not forget about the absence of carbohydrates. That is, those people who strictly follow a diet can consume this product without fear, because carbohydrates are the determining factor for excess weight. Even high fat content is not considered a reason to exclude cheese from your diet.

How difficult is it?

Can cheese making become a successful business and a source of good income? Of course, especially considering the deplorable situation with the supply of cheeses from foreign niche capitals - France and Italy. There is much less product, but everyone still wants it.

Making cheese at home is not difficult at all. To do this, just study the best recipes, purchase simple equipment and try.

Opening your own company specializing in this is more difficult, but still absolutely possible. Like any type of business, this requires thorough preparation, and since you will be working with a food product, you just need to learn some laws of the Russian Federation and go through the list of required permits from various organizations.

For starters: a success story

We contacted a restaurant with its own cheese factory, CHEESE Connection, and asked them to talk about the nuances of their business. Irina Khodzinskaya, founder of the Simple Things holding, which includes the restaurant, told their story.

«We opened a restaurant with our own cheese factory, CHEESE Connection, in 2021 at the height of the sanctions, when we realized that we had lost the opportunity to offer guests good soft cheese. The embargo problem was solved radically - they built their own cheese factory.

We went our own way - we found a cheese maker who set up production for us and trained the team. We made the equipment to order; we looked for raw materials from nearby farms and farms, since to produce high-quality, first-class cheese, you need milk that meets a number of parameters.

The whole value of soft cheese lies in the fact that the ideal taste is preserved for 8-12 hours, since then natural sugar leaves the milk, which immediately affects the taste of the cheese. Our own production gives us the opportunity to experiment with the product.

For example, we were the first in Russia to make burrata with fillings: crab, figs, red caviar and truffle, experiment with the texture of stracciatella and, together with our chef, create multi-layered dishes with cheese.

And in general, we are convinced that we have the best burrata and mozzarella in Moscow.

This is an extremely fresh product, since the production is located in the center of Moscow, within walking distance from the restaurant, and fresh cheese is constantly brought from there throughout the day.”

Opening a cheese factory from scratch: where to start?

Registration

Photo by @rawpixel, pixabay.com
First, you must register your business. You can choose an option such as opening a farm - contrary to the prevailing stereotype, now this is a very profitable area.

You need to decide on the form of ownership. At an early stage, when you are just trying your hand at cheese production, when you have a small farm and do not have a team of several dozen or hundreds of people, an individual entrepreneur may be a suitable option.

This type of property has undoubted advantages in the form, for example, of a simplified taxation system and the absence of the obligation to keep accounting records. But the main and very significant disadvantage is the problem of connecting additional investments and obtaining loans.

If you need outside finance, then this is not your option.

If you need additional financing, and if your business is already taking off, you feel confident and are planning to expand, then it is better to consider the option of an LLC (Limited Liability Company), as a more serious type of ownership. Most organizations want to work with legal entities, which is an LLC, and not with individuals, like individual entrepreneurs.

Room

Still from the movie "Silent Hill"

Next, another quest awaits you - choosing a location. You won’t be able to make a cheese factory at home, as there are certain rules that will have to be followed.

If you are planning to open a mini-dairy with a small volume of cheese production up to 100 kilograms, then the premises can occupy an area of ​​20 square meters. m. The larger the production volume, the more equipment you need, and therefore the size of the required room area also increases.

Premises requirements

In general, the requirements for food production are the same, no matter whether it is a cheese factory or something else.

There are entire regulations for this, but the most important thing in the requirements is, perhaps, hygiene standards, they are determined by sanitary and epidemiological supervision. They include specific wall decoration, the presence of ventilation and certain lighting, the presence of all communications, only metal or plastic furniture and much more.

Cheese production equipment

Photo @corinnabarbara, pixabay.com

The task of choosing equipment will not bother you as much as the problem of choosing and purchasing the raw materials itself, which will be discussed later.

Pasteurization bath
:
– Shelving

(for storage and ripening);

— Cheese molds

(there are many different types of molds: some are designed for specific types of cheese, and others are for general use. Relationships like "height to width" and things like that greatly affect the final result. For example, a soft ripened cheese that ripens from the edge to center, does not age properly if too thick);

— Baths

for salting cheese (where cheeses are kept in brine);

— Maturation chambers

, if hard cheeses are produced.

Raw materials

Photo @photosforyou, pixabay.com

Actually, the main point for you is the raw materials that need to be purchased somewhere. Owning a cheese factory as a small business is most profitable and comfortable for those who already have their own farm with cattle.

But, most likely, you are only going to set up cheese production, so you need to get these raw materials from somewhere. The best way to do this is through farms in the region where you live.

You shouldn’t rush and entrust this to other people; you should definitely see for yourself the conditions in which the livestock is kept, see the farm for yourself, talk to farmers, and only then think about involving them in your business.

Staff

Photo @hfossmark, pixabay.com

Even if this is a very small enterprise and a mini-dairy, you will still need at least 2-3 people to organize the process normally. An experienced technologist is required to ensure the production and organization of high-quality cheese. Without it, you should be prepared for less than stellar initial results.

All employees of your enterprise must have sanitary certificates.

What will your product actually consist of?

Ingredients

The main ingredient is milk. Cheese is made using milk from cows, goats, sheep, buffalos or a mixture of these dairy products.

Photo @free-photos, pixabay.com

The choice of thickening agent depends on the type of cheese desired. For fermented milk cheeses

an acid source such as acetic acid or mild food grade acid is used.
For rennet cheeses,
rennet is used, obtained by bioprocessing of microorganisms. Calcium chloride is sometimes added to cheese to improve the coagulation properties of milk.

Depending on the cheese, flavorings may be added. Some common ingredients already include herbs, spices, hot and sweet peppers, and horseradish.

Bacterial cultures

Cheese-making cultures are called lactic acid bacteria because their main source of energy is lactose and their main metabolic element is lactic acid. There are many different bacterial cultures that provide the distinct flavor and texture characteristics of cheeses.

Photo @VMonte13, pixabay.com

Starter cultures are used early in the cheese making process.

Metabolism of parent crops promotes desirable flavor compounds and helps prevent the growth of harmful organisms and pathogens. Typical starting bacteria include Lactococcus lactis subsp.

, Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbruckii subsp. bulgaricus and Lactobacillus helveticus

.

Additional cultures are used to provide or enhance the characteristic flavors and textures of the cheese. Common accessory crops added during production include Lactobacillus casei

and
Lactobacillus plantarum
for flavoring in Cheddar cheese or
Propionibacterium freudenreichii
in Swiss cheese.

Yeasts and molds are used in some cheeses to provide the characteristic colors and flavors of some cheeses.

Types of cheeses

Solid

Composition, calorie content, benefits and harms of smoked cheese

KBJU indicators for smoked cheese (per 100 grams of finished product):

• proteins - 23.5 grams;
• fats - from 14 to 30.5 grams (depending on the variety used);
• carbohydrates - none;
• calorie content - from 208 to 402 kcal (depending on the variety used for smoking).

At the same time, cheese is one of the richest food sources of phosphorus, calcium, and zinc. You should also know that 98% of the proteins included are amino acids, which the body can immediately use for the synthesis of cells and muscle fibers. It also contains vitamins A, D, E, B2, B12.

But smoked cheese also has “harmful” properties:

• the product is very high in calories;
• the film formed during smoking contains carcinogens (but their content there is no more than in fried pies).

Smoked cheese has many more beneficial properties than harmful ones. Therefore, it can be included in small quantities in the daily diet.

Delicious recipes with Adyghe cheese

• Fried Adyghe cheese. How to fry Adyghe cheese?
  Dip the finished cheese into the batter and fry on both sides over low heat in a frying pan. Recipe for making batter: beat 2 chicken eggs with a small amount of milk and 2 tbsp. spoons of flour, salt.
• Baked Adyghe cheese. Baked Adyghe cheese
  harmonizes perfectly with vegetables. Cut the cheese into slices, place chopped or grated vegetables (carrots, zucchini, potatoes, etc.) on it, add salt, coat with mayonnaise and sprinkle with grated hard cheese. Place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Salad with Adyghe cheese.
  The main basis of the salad is diced Adyghe cheese, boiled chicken breast, 2 boiled chicken eggs, and corn are added to it. A mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise is ideal as a dressing.
• Salad with Adyghe cheese and tomatoes.
  This salad is ideal for healthy food lovers. Add sliced ​​tomatoes, cucumbers and diced sweet peppers to the diced pieces of Adyghe cheese. Olive oil would be better for dressing.
• Dumplings with Adyghe cheese.
  Knead the dough using water, eggs, vegetable oil, salt and flour. Filling: grated Adyghe cheese, greens. Form small cakes from the prepared dough, fill them with the prepared filling, pinch the edges and boil in boiling water. We determine the readiness of the dish by the floating of the dumplings. Before serving, brush the dumplings with butter and serve with sour cream.

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.

About the benefits and harms of smoked cheese

Cheese is a valuable protein product, suitable for therapeutic and dietary nutrition.

During maturation, complex proteins are broken down into their components - amino acids. Some of them - lysine, tryptophan, methionine - are especially valuable for humans, since they are not synthesized by the body. This is a ready-made material for building cells and tissues of our body. Proteins are absorbed by 98.5%.

Cheese fat is easily digested by the human gastrointestinal tract. The fat content in cheese is from 19 to 30%.

Vitamins - A, D, E, B12, B2 - help regulate all metabolic processes in the body.

Calcium, zinc, phosphorus support bones, teeth, normalize muscle contraction and nervous system activity, and promote hair growth.

It is a high-calorie product. Energy value is 208-400 Kcal per 100 g. It is advisable to consume no more than 70 g per day.

Those who are allergic to milk protein, suffer from migraines, edema, gastritis, hypertension, and excess weight should limit their consumption of smoked cheese.

For those who are not comfortable with milk protein, a soy product - tofu - is suitable.

General principles for preparing Halloumi cheese dishes

Halloumi cheese was first prepared in Cyprus. This is a semi-solid brine product. Its basis is a mixture of goat and sheep milk. The result is a delicate, salty cheese with spicy notes (its taste is not similar to the product’s analogues and cow’s milk). It has a dense layered texture. Therefore, the product under discussion is ideal for frying.

To avoid any difficulties when frying cheese, it is important to choose it of very high quality. Then you will be able to prepare an appetizing snack even without breading.

It will be enough to salt the cheese and sprinkle it on top with the selected spices. Usually used for frying and vegetable fat. For example, refined olive oil. Before frying, the cheese is cut into neat pieces. The optimal thickness of each of them is about 1 cm.

It is enough to fry the resulting pieces for just a couple of minutes on each side. During this time, the cheese will have time to become covered with an appetizing light crust. Already on top it is salted and sprinkled with spices. The cheese itself is slightly salty, so additional salt may not be needed at all for the treat.

A regular or grill pan is great for frying cheese. The selected dishes are only minimally coated with vegetable fat on top. If you want a crispier version of the snack, then you should also take care of the breading for the cheese. Flour with spices and breadcrumbs are good for this. You can simply finely grate yesterday's white bread.

Smoking “Suluguni” cheese and “Kosichki” cheese

Smoking of cheese in the first Soviet republics began in the Baltic Republic. They smoked not only cheese: lard, chicken meat, etc. d. Probably everything except bread was sent to the smoking chambers by the Balts.

The Soviet Union had strict GOSTs, and the products were of very high quality. Time passed, and everyone began to make smoked meats. Often, unscrupulous manufacturers only added (and still do) a smoky taste to products, trying to make money.

Thanks to the cold smoked SMOKE GENERATOR, today we can smoke any product ourselves. A little time, a little diligence and... we eat delicacies without overpaying, and without doubting the quality of what we eat.

Let's prepare smoked cheese “SULUGUNI” and smoked cheese “NITI” today.

Cheese "Niti"

But let's first find out what Suluguni cheese is.

Suluguni is made in Georgia. Classic cheese “SULUGUNI” is made from buffalo milk, but nowadays mainly from cow’s milk. Translated from Georgian it sounds: “SULI” - soul and “GUNI” - heart. This cheese is salty and in some cases requires soaking. This is the cheese that is used in the preparation of “KHACHAPURI”. In Georgian, “KHACHO” means cottage cheese, and “PURI” means bread. Hence the name: bread with cottage cheese. Cheese, in fact, is also cottage cheese. Therefore, if somewhere they sell KHACHAPURI with MEAT, it’s a scam.

Cheese “Kosichka” (threads) is traditionally made from “Mozzarella”. Everything else is a variation. It is from this “Variety” that we will make the finished smoked product. “Braids” are sold either by weight or already packaged.

I bought a smoke generator for 3,900 rubles.

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More details

Ingredients:

1. Cheese “SULUGUNI”…………………………………………..1 kg.
2. Cheese “NITI” (braids)…………………………………..300 gr.

Preparation:

We cut “Suluguni” in half (you get 2 pieces of 0.5 kg each) and pre-dry for 1-2 hours.

“SULUGUNI” is tied with strong cotton thread and hung in the smokehouse.

Divide the “Pigtails” cheese into 100-150 grams, tie it with thread or weave it into braids.

Smoking:

Smoking cheese

We smoke using a smoke generator, cold smoking method, 6-10 hours.

Smoked cheese “SULUGUNI” goes well in salads, with fish and meat. Cheese “Kosichka” is an excellent snack for beer. In any case, smoked cheese will give a wonderful aftertaste to any product and a great mood for eaters.

"Rest" after smoking

Bon appetit!

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Smoking cheese with liquid smoke

An easy way to cook smoked meats is to use liquid smoke. This way you can smoke chechil (pigtail), scamorza and other cheeses.

Ingredients:

• cheese - 1 kg;
• filtered water - 1 l;
• liquid smoke - 100 ml.

Cooking instructions:

1. Dilute liquid smoke with cold boiled water.
2. Place the cheese in the solution and leave for 2-3 hours to better soak the inner layers.
3. Pat dry with paper towels.
4. Hang in the air for a period of 1-2 hours to a day.
5. To store, place in the refrigerator.

The product is ready for consumption without additional heat treatment.

Advice! The concentration of liquid smoke can be changed to suit your taste.

Types of smoked cheese

Heat treatment of cheese is carried out using hot and cold methods. Some varieties cannot be imagined without vulcanization.

Smoked sausage cheese belongs to this product. It is made by melting expensive varieties of hard cheese with butter, cottage cheese, eggs and flavorings. The taste ranges from spicy to piquant. It differs from all other types of fermented milk products by its characteristic shape and shiny bright brown crust.

Another variety that is offered to consumers after heat treatment is Chechil or “pigtail”. Farm versions are often made from goat or sheep milk. The form is elastic thin fibers, woven or rolled into a skein. The taste is spicy, dryish, saltiness is moderate.

Consumers are also offered other types of smoked cheese processed with “cold” smoke:

1. Perlini . To make it, several types of milk yield are necessarily used: from a cow, goat, sheep or buffalo. The shape is balls, no larger than a walnut, the taste is creamy and salty.
2. Scamorza . Italian variety of the “pasta filata” type, stretched cheese. The head is shaped like a pear with a bandage at the thin end. The taste is sweetish and creamy, the texture resembles “condensed milk”, and its color is like baked milk. After consumption, an oily aftertaste remains.
3. Suluguni . Pickled cheese with a sour taste without a crust, layered texture. Available in the form of flattened cylinders weighing from 1.5 to 2.5 kg.
4. Mozzarella . Made from cow's milk or a mixture with buffalo, the consistency is elastic. After heat treatment, the insipid milky taste is replaced by a savory one, the shape of the heads is small balls.

Types of cheese that are hot smoked:

1. Gruyères . The birthplace of this product is Switzerland. Available in the form of tall cylinders weighing up to 14 kg. The texture is dense, without eyes, the taste is spicy, cheesy, nutty.
2. English Cheddar . Many varieties have been developed based on it. Firm, with a harsh taste and dense texture, yellow, rich color. For smoking, heads with a aging period of at least 5 months are used.
3. Dutch Gouda . The taste is delicate, nutty-creamy, sweetish, the texture is brittle, dense, hard, the color is caramel. Available in the form of cylinders with rounded edges, weight - 6-12 kg.

After heat treatment, the surface of fermented milk products becomes “ruddy”, brown, and it is more difficult to distinguish one variety from another by aroma - the smell of tar and smoke appears.

Smoke cheese in the oven

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a smokehouse at home. You can successfully use an oven for smoking. This method is used to smoke any cheese - hard, suluguni, Adyghe, Chechil.

Cooking instructions:

1. Use the cheese in large pieces or cut into sticks.
2. Prepare the oven. Place foil on a baking sheet and spread a thin layer of wet fruit sawdust or wood chips. Place the baking tray on the bottom.
3. Turn on the oven at 200-220 °C and wait until the smoke from the wood chips fills the chamber.
4. Place the grill with cheese in the chamber, close the door and smoke for 1.5-3 minutes, depending on the size and type of product.

Advice! To enhance the smoking effect, brush the surface of the pieces with liquid smoke.

Tips for smoking

Not all types of wood are suitable for all types of cheese.

For soft cheeses (mild Cheddar, Mozzarella), fruit trees such as cherry or apple are suitable.

Strong woods such as nutmeg and walnut are suitable for smoking hard cheeses: hard Cheddar, Gouda or Edam. Another tip to consider is that you can replace the wood pieces with bamboo, dry tea or walnut shells. This can add a new flavor.

If you want to use a soldering iron for smoking, it is important that it is only used for smoking cheeses or other foods, and if it has already been used when soldering with metals, it exposes the food to lead or tin.

Another caution is to use clean pieces of wood and sawdust. It is not recommended to use pieces of wood from gardening because they may contain poisons that contaminate food.

Kitchen utensils needed for smoking

• Knife for cutting.
• Paper (parchment, waxed)
• Plastic bag)

Tools used for smoking

• Smokehouse
• Clean baking sheet, ice, tin can.
• Small pieces of wood.

Tools for smoking cheese in the refrigerator

• A refrigerator that is used only for smoking.
• Smoking area without flammable objects nearby.
• Electric stove with one burner.
• Wood chips.
• Can.
• Large container.

For outdoor recreation - how to cook delicious cheese shish kebab

Suluguni cheese on skewers, Ukrainian mozzarella in sheet dough, grilled Adyghe cheese, cheese kebab made from bread and sausage cheese - in this article we tell you how to prepare cheese kebab for outdoor recreation.

• 27.06.2018, 17:18

A famous brand with a rich history of quality lasting more than half a century

Cheese kebab is a great alternative if you don't eat meat (as is champignon kebab). In addition, both cheese and mushroom kebab can slightly satisfy your hunger while waiting for the meat kebab to cook. In this article we talk about how to cook real cheese kebab in nature.

Hot smoking

The recipe for making cheese does not contain any preparation steps, unlike other products. The cheese does not need to be soaked or marinated. To smoke cheese, you will have to skillfully handle the smoker. If it comes to you for the first time, then it is recommended to try your hand at other, less demanding products. It is also possible to gain experience by lighting a fire and trial smoking with an empty box. All that is required of you is to be able to clearly set the temperature in the smoking box and maintain it constant for a certain time.

Stock up everything you need to prepare hot smoked cheese from start to finish and place it nearby, as sometimes you will have to act quickly.

• The cheese must be hard. This condition does not need to be explained in detail, since everyone understands that otherwise the cheese or cheese product does not retain its firm integrity.
• To remove moisture, you will need a cloth that does not leave lint or marks. Paper towels or cotton cloth work great.
• Thin twine, preferably linen. There is a special culinary thread.
• Wood chips can be used as a material. Experts say that wood chips or sawdust must be fruit. If it is not possible to obtain such material, alder can replace it.

First, we choose cheese in the store. Especially for those who do not have experience in classifying cheeses, we explain that hard varieties are such as Dutch or Russian and the like. Next, the product will have to be divided into portions. We won’t have time to smoke a large piece, because it will only stay in the smokehouse for a couple of minutes. The recommended weight of one piece is 200 grams.

Each piece is wrapped in fabric prepared in advance and tied with thread. Having provided strong and reliable protection, you can smoke not only hard cheeses using this principle. For example, Adyghe cheese is removed from plastic packaging and placed in cotton fabric. When using napkins, it is advisable to use a multi-layer wrap.

The smokehouse must be perfectly clean. The slightest remnants of products from previous smoking, foreign objects, especially those made of plastic, will give off unpleasant odors. After cleaning the smoking box, spread a thin layer of sawdust onto its bottom.

A fire is built in the barbecue. Greater intensity is not needed, since the temperature in the box will not exceed 80°C degrees. It is necessary that the wood burns with the same intensity. After making sure that this condition is met, you can put the smokehouse on the grill and close it with a lid. A thin stream of white smoke is taken to start the process. She notifies that the wood chips have begun to smolder. At first, you need to constantly watch the lid, as there is a risk of melting the product. This is the main inconvenience of cooking.

The cheese smoked according to the described principle is removed from the towel and placed in the refrigerator. Despite the fact that cheese is a hot smoked product, it must be infused in the refrigerator for about a day, because it comes to the table cold.

Preliminary preparation

For hot or cold smoking cheese you should:

1. • Cut into small uniform pieces;
2. • Wrap fabric in medium density;
3. • Place in a special bag made of natural material.

Dividing the product into pieces is recommended due to the fact that almost all recipes for smoking cheese indicate the duration of this process - 2-3 minutes. This means that a large piece simply will not have time to be sufficiently saturated with smoke, which will give the product a delicate aroma and enhance its natural taste.

After cutting the cheese, each piece should be wrapped in a clean cloth (except for pressed hard cheese), a sheet of parchment or a paper napkin (2-3 layers), placed in a tight fabric bag and hung in a home smokehouse.

Heads and blocks of hard cheese varieties do not need to be cut. They simply remove the packaging and hang them up. Block soft cheeses are smoked in a shell pierced in several places.

How to properly store smoked cheese

Store cheese in the refrigerator at 4-6 °C.
When storing, observe the proximity of the products: do not place raw products or products with a strong smell nearby. Do not leave the product unpackaged. Use food foil, parchment, containers. The packaging should not be sealed.

Observe the following storage periods:

• Hard cheeses - no more than 15 days.
• Soft - a week.
• Pickled cheeses - a week.
• Chechil, vacuum-packed braid - a month.
• Tofu - 5 days.

Burgers with vegetables and bean-rice patty

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw walnuts;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil;
• ½ white onion;
• salt - to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 1 tablespoon chili powder;
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin;
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika;
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar;
• 1½ cups boiled beans (ideally black, but red can be used);
• 1 cup boiled brown rice;
• ⅓ cup breadcrumbs;
• 3-4 tablespoons barbecue sauce;
• some burger buns;
• several lettuce leaves;
• 2–3 tomatoes;
• 1 red onion;
• 1–2 pickled or fresh cucumbers;
• mayonnaise - to taste;
• any mustard - to taste.

Preparation

Prepare the minced meat at home in advance. Fry the chopped nuts in a dry, hot frying pan, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Place them and leave to cool. Heat half the oil in a frying pan and sauté finely chopped onion, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Grind the cooled nuts, chili, cumin, paprika, sugar, salt and pepper in a blender. Mash the beans with a fork, add the rice, mixed nuts, onion, breadcrumbs and barbecue sauce. Mix thoroughly and, if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

If the mince is a little dry, add another 1-2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce. If it is runny, add a little more breadcrumbs.

Cut the buns in half lengthwise and lightly toast them on the grill. Form the minced meat into cutlets according to the number of buns. Grease the grill with the remaining oil, place the cutlets on it and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Place lettuce leaves, cutlets, slices of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers on the buns. Spread with mayonnaise and mustard and cover with the tops of the buns.