What is better than a cheeseburger? How about a deep-fried version? While these do take some effort to put together, the rest of the process is quick and easy. You may freeze uncooked ones, so is something you may prepare well in advance. When ready to deep fry them you may put them in frozen. However, when doing that I will usually let them thaw about 10 minutes on the counter, then pat them down to reduce the amount of water droplets or ice crystals on the outside. While you may use a large pot or (better) wok with a few inches of oil in it to deep fry these, I use a deep frier appliance and the recipe reflects that.
Timing
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1lb ground bison
- 2T yellow mustard
- 2T ketchup
- 1t Worcestershire sauce
- 1t salt
- 1/2t pepper
- 12 (estimated) egg roll wrappers
- 12 (estimated) slices of American cheese (or other meltable cheese such as low-moisture mozzarella)
- 1/2C finely diced dill pickles
Steps
- Mix the bison, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Heat oil in a 10in skillet or other pan over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add meat mixture and press so the meat evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Cook without stirring for about 4 minutes or until there is a nice crust on the bottom.
- Stir and break the meat apart, and cook for 2 more minutes or until the meat is well-browned all over. You may drain the meat or not; I tend to not drain it but use a slotted spoon when scooping meat from the pan onto the egg roll wrappers letting the grease drain in the process.
- While the meat is cooling, set up an egg roll assembly line. I usually place a large cutting board in front of me. After that I place a paper towel, the pan of meat, and a bowl of water. To the left I have the egg roll wrappers (keep covered with a damp towel so they do not dry out), the sliced cheese, the diced pickles, and a spoon. To the right I have a container to hold the egg rolls along with waxed paper if I am stacking egg rolls in the container. The waxed paper may be placed between each layer of egg rolls so they do not stick to each other.
- To assemble, place an egg roll wrapper in front of you so it makes a diamond shape. Place a slice of cheese in the middle. (If using a square slice of cheese make it makes a square shape instead of a diamond.) Place about two tablespoons of the meat on top of the cheese. (The exact amount of meat to use will have to be based on experience.) Spoon about a teaspoon of pickles on top of the meat. Then moisten your fingers in the bowl of water, and dampen the corner of the egg roll wrapper closest to you. Pull over the meat and press into the egg roll wrapper on the other side. Use your fingers to dampen the sides of the wrapper, and crease where they fold. Pull the two corners on each side to the center of the meat, (under one layer of wrapper already). Dampen and lightly press the areas where the parts of egg roll wrappers meat. The water will help them stick together although only enough water to soften up the dough should be used. Finally, moisten the far corner of the egg roll wrapper, and roll the wrapper-covered meat until you have the assembled egg roll. Place in the container and repeat until there is no more meat. Your yield will vary, but I usually end up with around 8 – 10.
- Place egg rolls in a deep fryer heated to 375°F / 190°C for about 4 minutes or until the outside is a deep gold color. If cooking from frozen, the time needed will increase to about 6 – 8 minutes.