Three Guys From Miami: Cuban and Spanish Food Recipes
Jorge Castillo: Like many things that came to Cuba by way of other cultures, the hamburger soon became a popular favorite. Although there was never a McDonald's in Havana, we do have the United States to thank for introducing this popular favorite.

Glenn Lindgren: Finding the meat a little bland, some enterprising Cubans decided to "kick it up a notch."

Jorge Castillo: The frita remains very popular in Miami. Some of the best fritas can be found at El Rey de las Fritas, El Mago De Las Fritas., and Morro Castle.

Raúl Musibay: The best way to make this is with a food processor and a chopping blade.

Glenn Lindgren: Use the blade to finely grind the meats, garlic, and onion into a smooth mixture. But don't overprocess!

Raúl Musibay: Don't even think about making this recipe without the secret sauce!! It is NOT the same without it!

Frita Cubana - Cuban Hamburger

Frita Cubana -- The Original Cuban Hamburger

By Three Guys From Miami

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6-8 generous patties

Enjoy this authentic Cuban recipe for the ultimate Cuban hamburger.

INGREDIENTS:

Burgers:

1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, mashed and finely minced
1/3 cup onion,grated
2 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika
Salt & pepper cooked patties to taste
6-8 American-style hamburger or steak buns

Topping:

6-8 cups freshly fried shoestring potatoes
raw onion, sliced(optional)
Glenn's Not-So-Secret Sauce (MANDATORY -- see recipe below)
Use a food processor with a chopping blade to grind together the meats, the minced garlic, and the onion. Blend in the ketchup, cumin, and paprika.

Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and form by hand into round thin patties. Cook on a flat griddle or in a frying pan.

Fritas should be cooked to medium well done, but don't overcook -- they should still be nice and juicy. When the frita is just about cooked through, reduce heat to medium low, squirt on some secret sauce, and let the patties cook just a minute longer.

While the fritas are frying, use a deep fat fryer or frying pan with a couple inches of vegetable oil to fry the shoestring potatoes. Drain on paper towels and lightly salt. Keep warm.

Serve each frita on a traditional American hamburger bun.

IMPORTANT:

Splash plenty of "Glenn's Not-So-Secret Sauce" on the bun and the patty. The sauce is an ESSENTIAL ingredient in this recipe!

Place the patty on the bun, cover with some sliced onion (if you like), and pile high with fresh, hot, shoe-string style fried potatoes -- yes, inside the bun, ON TOP of the meat! Splash a little extra secret sauce on the fries, you'll be glad you did!

Serve with additional fries on the plate.

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Glenn's Not-So-Secret Frita Sauce
Glenn Lindgren: This is my take on the "Secret Sauce" at my favorite Miami frita restaurant.

Raúl Musibay: A frita is NOT a frita without the secret sauce. Most of the flavor of a frita cubana comes from the sauce!

Jorge Castillo: The other thing that makes the frita cubana great is the crispy fried shoestring potatoes that are served right on top of the hamburger patty.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients together in a two-quart saucepan.

Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool. Use generously in the Frita Cubana recipe above.

Three Guys From Miami Show You How to Make the Best Cuban, Spanish, and Latin American Food!

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The Three Guys From Miami are: Raúl Musibay, Glenn Lindgren, and Jorge Castillo
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Recipes and additional editorial content are from the books: "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban." Copyright ©2004, or "Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban" Copyright ©2006, or orginal to this website. All Rights Reserved.

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