Team Burger

After a couple of days discussing the joys and benefits of vegetables, my boys felt it was time I bring forth a blog dedicated to their all-time favorite food…the Burger. When dining out, the fast-food burger used to be both of my sons’ first choice. Yuck. Now, I’ll admit, every once in great while, I crave a White Castle. But a much better burger can be made at home with a little thought, care and science.
It’s like assembling a great sports team. You need the key players, then the rest of the team is assembled to work with or"help out" the starters. With burgers, the meat and fat are the starters on your team. Beef provides structure, texture and flavor. Fat is important, as it provides moisture, texture and flavor. Sorry, folks, you can lighten your fat load a little, but not too much in the case of the burger. If you are watching your fat intake, I suggest reducing your portion size before deciding to use a leaner cut of meat. A perfect ratio of ground meat to fat is 80% meat to 20% fat when constructing a burger. There are many cuts of beef, so choose purposefully. Sometimes, I just want a fast, delicious sandwich and other times, I want to make a “creation”. There is a cut for every style of burger.

Chuck: This is a well-marbled, full-flavored shoulder or chuck cut of the steer. It has a near perfect ratio of ground meat to fat when ground. This is a great every day, all-round meat for burgers. And it’s usually very reasonably priced.

Round: The hindquarters or round has little intramuscular fat. Once ground, it makes for a lean patty that is great for a more gourmet burger that has rich accompaniments.

Grass-fed: Less fatty than corn-fed beef, the meat of pasture-raised beef produces a very lean burger with a clean, mineral flavor. You can add ground fat to it for more flavor. I suggest adding pork fat for variety and serious yum factor.

Ground Hamburger: What is labeled “hamburger” in the supermarket is typically a blend of trimmings from various steaks and roasts. The fat percentage is also indicated on the label. This is also a great blend for everyday burgers. In my experience the meat to fat ratio is usually 75% to 25%, which makes a great burger, but can be a little more difficult to manage. Fat melts when making and cooking the burger so if there is too much fat the burger may have difficulty holding together. While 75% to 25% ratio will still keep the burger together, but the end result is a little too greasy for a standard burger. If you’re looking to recreate “sliders” there is probably no better choice than ground hamburger.

Short ribs: Short ribs are meaty and tender and make for a sumptuous burger. Ask your butcher to grind boneless short rib (also called chuck tail flap). I, sometimes, use this when short ribs are on sale. The fat ratio is similar to chuck when ground.

Brisket: We love brisket as brisket (Aunt Krista’s Slow-Roasted Brisket is our fave!), but it does make a very flavorful cut for burgers. When brisket is on sale, I buy 2: one for brisket and then I have one ground for burgers. For a leaner grind, ask your butcher to grind a “flat cut”. For all out richness, ask for the fattier “second cut” or “nose cut”.

Sirloin: Top sirloin, tri-tip or knuckle are great cuts when you want a full, beefy flavor. They are amply marbled and really make the patty “stand out” among the condiments.

Dry-aged beef: Some butchers “dry-age” their meat, as opposed to wet-aging, which most grocery chains use to age their beef. Dry-aged beef has a more concentrated, steak-like flavor. It is usually more expensive, but definitely worth it when you are looking for a strong beef flavor. I like dry-aged beef for roasted cuts. Wet-aged beef works fine for me for burgers.

Wagyu: In all honesty I cannot speak to the taste of this meat because I cannot afford this type of beef, ground or otherwise. It’s the Olympic team of beef. My butcher tells me that in the U.S., Japanese Wagyu cows have been cross-bred with specially-selected American breeds to produce an unsurpassable tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. My butcher tells me ground Wagyu makes a seriously luxe burger. It’s on my “life list” of things to try. If anyone has had the privilege to taste this cut of beef, I’d love to hear your comments.

When I make my everyday burgers, I use my cousin, Rachel’s, “Fat Burger” recipe. The following are also burgers we’ve enjoyed over the years at my house. I’ve included the boys’ favorites. Mangia!

Fat Burgers
2 lbs of ground chuck
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Thick Worcestershire Sauce (thin work fine, too)
1 ¼ “ slice of Boars’ Head Vermont Cheddar Cheese per burger
Form meat into 8oz patties (or 4oz for those living in moderation;-). Grill 6-8 minutes per side, depending on your preference of doneness. I like my burgers rare. My kids like them medium-rare. For the last two minutes of cooking add cheese so it melts. Add the condiments of your choice including, but not limited to: Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, flavored mayonnaise, A-1 Sauce, pickles, pickled beets, bacon, coleslaw, lettuce, tomato, pickled jalapeño peppers, olive tapenade or alfalfa sprouts;-)

Asian Burger
1 lb or ground round
2 teaspoons Sriracha ( this Asian-style garlic-chile sauce imparts a subtle heat and sweetness.)
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
Form meat into 4 oz patties. Grill 6-8 minutes per side or to your preferred doneness. Place on a potato bun and top with scallions, sautéed mushroom, shredded cabbage or bok choy.

Steakhouse burger
2 lb of ground sirloin
4 Tablespoons of red wine
2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
1 pkg onion and mushroom soup mix (plain onion or beefy onion will also work)
1 tsp of freshly ground, black pepper
Bleu cheese, Swiss or Havarti cheese
Form meat into 4 or 8 oz. patties and grill to appropriate doneness. Top with 1 ¼ in slice of Swiss or Havarti cheese or crumbled bleu cheese. Place on a crusty, Kaiser Roll and garnish with horseradish mayonnaise (equal parts of horseradish and mayonnaise mixed together), lettuce and tomato.

Mexican Burger
2 lbs ground brisket
2 tsp cumin
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 Tablespoons red chile paste (or chop up 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
1 Tablespoon, fresh, chopped cilantro (optional)
Pepper Jack or Colby Jack cheese (your choice, 1 ¼” slice per burger)
Mix together and form 4- 8oz. patties, grilling to appropriate doneness. Place on an onion roll topped with 1 ¼” slice of Pepper Jack or Colby Jack cheese, salsa, guacamole (or sliced avocado), shredded lettuce and a squirt of fresh, lime juice.

Pizza Burger
1 lb of short ribs, ground
2 teaspoons each of fresh basil, oregano and parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon bread crumbs
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon of finely chopped capers or 1 teaspoon of salt
Mozzarella, Provolone, Fontina or Slicing Asiago cheese (your choice, 1 ¼” slice per burger)
Mix the above all together really well and form into 4 oz patties. Grill or fry in skillet to preferred doneness. Place on fresh ciabatta roll with a spread of olive tapenade and/ or aioli. Top each burger with a ¼” inch slice cheese, Spaghetti sauce (if you freeze your homemade sauce in ice cube tray, you can thaw one cube per burger), baby leaf spinach (or arugula) and some roasted red peppers.

Chicago Burger
1 lb grass-fed beef mixed with pork fat
1 Tablespoon of Ketchup
1 Tablespoon brown mustard (I like Gulden’s)
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon bread crumbs
1tsp black pepper
Mix the above all together really well and form into 4 oz patties. Grill or fry in skillet to preferred doneness. Place on a pretzel roll (ask for it in the grocery stores. They are SO worth it! Great for a grilled cheese sandwiches, too). Top with sauerkraut or cole slaw, pepperoncini, cucumber slices, sweet pickle relish, red onion slices and tomatoes.

Anthony’s BBQ BLT Burger
1 lb of ground chuck
2 Tablespoons Sweet Baby’s Ray BBQ sauce
Mix together and form 4oz. or 8oz. patties, grilling to appropriate doneness. Place on toasted English Muffin (we like Wolferman’s). Top with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

Alex’s Heart Attack on a Bagel
2 lbs of ground hamburger (75% meat 25% fat)
2 Tablespoons thick Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons spicy ketchup (Maggi makes good spicy, Indian ketchup that Alex likes)
Mix together and form 4oz. or 8oz. patties (Alex eats an 8 ouncer), grilling to appropriate doneness. Place on an toasted Everything bagel with 1 slice of Pepper Jack cheese, 3 slices of bacon, sliced black olives, a squirt of yellow mustard and beef chili without beans (homemade is best, but Alex has been known to buy chili in a can. When I make chili, I freeze some in ice cubes trays to prevent Alex from buying canned chili, but sometimes I don’t have time so he gets the canned stuff;-) And if that’s not enough to clog your arteries, then add 1 sunny-side up, fried egg. (No one in our family, but Alex, can eat this burger. It’s not for the faint of heart.)