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Issue #8                                                                                    July 21st       2010
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Great Burgers: The 20% Solution

 

I play a lot of men's league tennis during the summer time and the general program is that the home team provides food for everyone after the matches - lots of burgers, brats and chips & salsa. 

 

Burgers at these meetings come in two varieties both originating in King Sooper's freezer section (the 20 pack of frozen pucks).  The first kind of burger served are what sushi people call, black and blue - the still frozen pucks are thrown over high heat till the outside gets a nice sear on, but not so long that the middle gets much past warm (usually served to shut up the guys looking over your shoulder and repeatedly asking, "Are they done yet?")

 

The second variety is those that have been thoroughly incinerated and shrunken to a quarter their original size and now are more suitable for beer coasters than eating.  These are usually available after most people have eaten and grill has been abandoned (but left on high of course).

 

The brats on the other hand are usually bought fresh (on the way to the courts) so defrosting them isn't an issue.  They're simply cooked over high heat until they explode and then shrivel ("...brats are done!":)

 

In either case, we must learn to do better and which is why I'm here today.

 

First, skip the frozen pucks and make your burgers fresh, it only takes an extra 10 minutes to make up a like quantity of burgers as the frozen bags and the results are far superior (and it's cheaper too).

 

The keys to making a great burger are 20% fat and gentle construction.  Lean hamburger, that with 10% fat or less may be healthier for the body, but 15 or 20% fat is needed for a real soul satisfying burger.  That extra fat gives the burger richness and juiciness.

 

The second key is to gently form the patties, using only enough pressure to form the patty and get it to hold together.  Don't knead in spices or press them into dense patties, this manhandling mash's the meat and fat together and making for a tough, dense burger. 

 

Rather, adopt the concept of a well marbled steak, that, as it cooks the pockets of fat melt throughout the steak.   Likewise, a gently formed burger retains separately, the little pieces of fat from the little pieces of meat, so as the burger cooks the fat pieces melt in and leave a tender lattice work of juicified beef.  Poetry. 

 

[By the way, don't ruin this poetry by mashing down the burger on the grill and undoing all that we're trying to accomplish here.]

 

Make your burgers about the size of the bun you're using and aim for about ¾ inch thickness.  If you make them thinner they cook pretty fast and it's harder to manage anything other than well done, plus there's less to bite into - not as satisfying and perhaps subject to being overwhelmed by the condiments (remember the burger is the star, make sure it shines).

 

On the other hand, if you make the burger too thick it's going to be more difficult to cook the inside to the desired doneness without overcooking the outside (unless of course you're a savvy grill master and use a two-level fire).

 

What about seasoning?  For my money, nothing is better than simple salt and pepper on beef and I apply it to both sides of the just formed patty just as I would to a steak.  I prefer using kosher salt, because the big flakes are easier to apply and measure with fingers and I prefer fresh, course ground black pepper that gives a nice peppery pop with each bite.

 

You certainly can use a bunch of other spices if that floats your boat, but after you add, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, bacon (yumm), fried egg (spectacular), onion, mustard, ketchup and the like, do those extra spices really come through?

 

A nice option if you have the time (or simply want to make them ahead), is to throw the fresh formed and seasoned patties into the fridge for an hour or so (covered with plastic wrap).  This re-chill firms the patty up so they hold together better on the grill.

 

Fire up the grill to medium high, burn off any crud from the last use and scrub the grate clean with a stiff wire brush.  By the way you should do this every time, before grilling anything, because it prevents off flavors and reduces sticking.

 

With the grill ready, gently lay the burgers down and leave them alone for 3 to 5 minutes to get a good sear, then flip them and give them another 3 to 5 minutes.  I usually cook mine with the lid up, but if you have a wimpier grill you can put the lid down.  If you have a hot fire and put the lid down, you're asking for grease fire - you've got to treat that 20% with respect.

 

Experience is your best guide for judging doneness, because there are a number of variables at work here you need to factor in, like the thickness of the patties, whether they came from the fridge (colder to begin with), how hot your grill is and/or how even the heat is across your grill, and obviously, how well done you like your burger done.

 

If you have an accurate probe thermometer (pat yourself on the back) you can use it, going in from the side of the burger so you get about an 1 ½ inches of the tip into the center of the patty (see doneness chart or you could try the finger test or the face test)

 

If you're going to make them cheese burgers, put the cheese on only in the last minute or two, otherwise it liquefies and runs down into the grill.  You want the cheese just melted but intact so it delivers a concentrated cheese punch.

 

Finally, after this blast of high heat cooking that gets the juices in the burger (or steak) all excited and heading for the exit, it's a good idea to let them "rest" on a plate a few minutes before serving.

 

"Okay, thanks for burger schooling, but how do I avoid those exploded brats you mentioned?"  Patience young Jedi....


 

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