MSN Lifestyle features tips for how to make a perfect burger, including a guide to different ground meats and recommendations for condiments beyond basic ketchup.
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 18, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Clicking in to the AHT inbox today, there's this. —The Mgmt.
Yo Adam,
Yesterday I was walking around Long Island City and noticed a daily special run by Jackson Avenue Steakhouse. For $7.95 you get an eight-ounce burger, fries and pint of Radeberger beer. The special is all day, every day if you sit at the bar.
I went in to try it out and was very impressed. The burger was meaty and tender, not overly seasoned with a very nice freshness to the beef. I ordered mine medium and it came out between medium and medium-rare, which was perfect for me. Even at that temperature it was very juicy, running down my hand at bite one. The fries are hand-cut potatoes fried in what I believe to be peanut oil and tasted very similar to the fries Five Guys, albeit slightly thinner. I ordered them well done. The Radeberger was, well, a good pilsner.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 4, 2008 at 1:00 PM
The site Yumsugar ran seven great burger tips that one of its bloggers picked up from Bobby Flay at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, a while ago. It's good advice here on the Fourth if you haven't yet started your fire. My favorite:
When forming the patty, make an indent with your thumb in the middle. This will ensure that the meat plumps nicely. Flatten the patty before placing on the grill. Never press down on the patty or flatten it while cooking. This will release the precious juices that are essential to a burger's flavor.
What's going on with the indentation suggestion is that the center of a burger usually swells when it cooks, leading to football-shaped patties. Indenting it ensures that even when it does puff up, even thickness is maintained.
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Meet & Eat: Bobby Flay
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 31, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Some of you might have seen this material earlier this summer, just before the Fourth of July, but it's pretty much evergreen and bears repeating for those of you who missed it. Past the jump, tips for making great burgers over the long weekend. You are grilling burgers aren't you? ;)
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 3, 2007 at 10:00 AM
So, yeah. Tomorrow's the Fourth of July. We thought some quick burger-grilling tips might be in order for those of you with the day off and some time to grill.
The Meat: It's the most important part of the burger. Sure, some of your guests may top theirs with all manner of nonsense that may overpower the flavor of the beef, but you want to start with a good base. Chuck that's freshly ground from a butcher you trust (or that's ground at home) is a good place to start. If you're feeling up to it, you can experiment with mixtures that use different cuts, but you can't go wrong with chuck—it has the requisite fat content for a juicy burger. Go no leaner than 80 percent.
Mixing the Beef: Mix the meat as little as possible, whether you prefer the simple addition of salt and pepper or more exotic mix-ins. Overmixing leads to toughness. Toughness leads to anger. Anger leads to burgers you'll hate. Just form some loose patties quickly and without much fuss. They may not be perfectly round or what not, but they'll taste better. And who cares what it looks like once it's on a bun?
Get Depressed: Until a few years ago, I had a problem. No matter how even the thickness of my patties, the center of the burger would swell up on cooking. But I learned a trick from coworkers at my previous employer—make a depression in the center of your patties. With thicker edges and a thinner middle, the swelling will eventually even things out.
Flip Once, No Pressing! That spatula in your hand? It's used for flipping the burgers and used for flipping them once. You know what it's not used for? Pressing down on the patties while they grill. Don't do that! It releases all the precious moisture into the flame.
Flame Retardant: Flare-ups are a part of grilling. For most, simply close the lid of the grill; the reduction in oxygen should be all that's needed to quell the flames.
Photograph from iStockPhoto.com
