|
[ Burgers = real food ]
I love burgers. Not fast food burgers, but the real deal. I have yet to have found the perfect burger though, and this is a quest I have been working on for a very long time.
What would make the perfect burger? Well, taste is the main objective. It also have to be fairly quick to prepare, and it shouldn't be expensive.
After a LOT of experimentation, I'm pleased to report that I think I have found nearly the perfect recipe. If you decide to try this, please let me know how you like it and any suggestions for improvements. After all, the quest for the perfect burger is ongoing, and i'm sure everyone will have their own variations and suggestions for improvement. By posting my recipe here, i'm hoping that it encourages others to contribute their suggestions.
Toppings:
Prepare your toppings in advance.
Onions: I like using a mix of rehydrated and fresh onions. The rehydrated ones give your burger a different flavor and texture than fresh onions do. Here's how you make this topping: In a bowl, soak about 1/4 cup of dehydrated onions (usually found at the supermarket in the spice isle) in about a cup of water. Place this mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours. When the onions have fully rehydrated, drain the excess water. Mix in an equal amount of finely chopped fresh onions.
Pickles: Ok, I understand that many people don't care for pickles on their burgers. If you're one of them, no problem, just omit them. But if you do, you'll have to experiment as to what kind you like. Most fast food restaurants use pretty crappy pickles, so I suggest experimenting with some options to come up with something you like.
Personally, I purchase whole dills (eg; Vlasic non-kosher dills), slice them thin, and then let them soak in a mixture of straight white vinegar, salt and a bit of turmeric for 24-48 hours. This gives the pickles an extra sour flavor, which I find really contributes to the overall taste of the burger.
Condiments: French's yellow mustard and Hunt's ketchup. If you can't find Hunt's, anything will work, but in my humble opinion, Hunt's tastes much better than Heinz on burgers.
Seasoning: I use a mixture of onion powder (not granulated onion), black pepper and seasoning salt. I use about 3 parts onion powder to 1 part black pepper and 1 part seasoning salt. You can get creative here and try your own spice blends.
Cheese: Processed American cheese slices usually work pretty well. Get a good brand, and find the thinnest slices possible.
The Buns:
This can be a bit tricky. Find a brand that you like, anything works but you'll need to find something you like. Personally, my favorites are the standard plain burger buns, like you'll find at Wal-Mart. These ones are usually pretty cheap, a couple of bucks at most for a dozen. They should be soft and light to the touch.
The Patties:
In my experience, 100% ground beef makes the best burger patties. Nothing mixed in, just straight up beef. Just get lean ground beef (extra lean won't have enough fat) or ground chuck and divide it into equal sized balls each about 1.5 times the size of a golf ball. You can scale up or down here depending on how you like your patties.
Ready? Ok, let's start.
Place a fairly large sheet of wax paper on the counter and get out a jumbo sized circular cookie cutter. My cookie cutter is about 10 cm across - they're a bit hard to find but do-able. If you can't find one you can form the patties by hand, but they never turn out quite as good as they do if you're using a form. Drop one of your balls of ground beef into the center of the cookie cutter and with your fingers form it around the inside of the cutter. It only takes a few seconds, but when you pull off the cookie cutter, you'll have a perfectly shaped burger patty.
Repeat until all of your patties are formed. Then carefully transport the wax paper into the freezer, and leave the patties in there for about an hour or so until they're about half frozen.
When ready, heat up a fairly large frying pan to medium-high. Place your patties in the pan - I usually cook four at a time, cooking too many at once can crowd the pan and end up unevenly cooking the patties. After about a minute, flip them.
Sprinkle a good pinch of your seasoning powder on the cooked side of the patty. When the patty is completely cooked (usually about 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness and size), flip it back and sprinkle on another pinch of seasoning so both sides are seasoned. Transfer to a cooling rack, and place in your oven on low (about 80-90 degrees Celsius) while you prep the buns.
Wipe out your frying pan and place the buns in it face down. Keep the heat around medium to medium high. Check on them frequently, until they are moderately toasted.
Prep time.
Place the buns face up on a plate. On the crown in this order: mustard, ketchup, two pickle slices, a teaspoon of the onion mix, and a slice of cheese. On the base, just ketchup, then the patty.
The last step is to put two burgers on a plate and microwave for 20-30 seconds on high. This will melt the cheese slightly and warm the bun. Devour immediately. Enjoy!
Variations:
Of course, this is just the cheeseburger recipe. Variations include adding mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, relish and tomatoes.
|
