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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