Building the Best Burger

I’m beginning to wonder if burger joints are like condominiums percolating upwards in what will amount to a great burger bubble.  Five guys and Elevation burger were early adapters as Hell burger in Arlington and others continue to join an increasingly competitive environment.  I’m all for open markets and capitalism but the growth of the burger movement doesn’t come without opportunity cost.  While I can’t deny the utility derived from devouring well crafted bliss on a bun,  burger joints rob me of the subtle carnal pleasures I realize when grilling my own.

Home aficionados and the food  literature that fuels them devote serious effort debating the best sources for meat and other ingredients.  But for me the best burger is an act in simplicity and anyone can conjure burger perfection with  little effort.   Fresh ground beef, salt and pepper, a good bun, and proper technique are all you need to achieve a state of burger perfection I like to call Bovinity.

Read on for tips that will help you achieve your own burger Zen

Tips

1. Use 80/20 Beef. I know a few people think it’s excessively fatty, but fat assures juicy results.
2. Stay Cool. Keep your beef in the fridge until you’re ready to work. Subtle heat will cause fat in the meat to soften. If the slightly warmed meat is then overworked or mixed, you’ll end up with a dense, homogeneous texture.  Work on a sheet pan you can easily return to the fridge and chill your hands in ice water before you begin. If you’ve formed your patties but aren’t yet ready to grill, promptly return them to the fridge.
3. Aggressively season. 2 teaspoons kosher salt per pound of beef may look like a lot, but it will help draw out all that beefy flavor.  Go heavy on the pepper too.
4. Keep it loose. Gingerly break the meat apart onto your sheet pan to expose as much surface area as possible. With the meat spread out, you’ll be able to season liberally without having to mash or mix the ground beef. Applying as little force as possible, gently form the patties. A loose pack gives the burger a light airy texture and allows fat to drain from the meat as it cooks.
5. Don’t go too big.  Just big enough to allow a good crust to build on the exterior while the center stays pink.  6 ounces is a perfect size for me.    Each patty should be 3/4 inch thick and slightly larger than the diameter of your bun.
6. Use a scale.  Or any method you can come up with to assure consistency.  If all your burgers are the same size they’ll cook uniformly.  No more dry burger for Timmy, bloody burger for Tod.
7. Use a timer. Every grill is unique so devote an afternoon and a few burgers to getting to know yours. Your friends certainly won’t mind being test subjects, and they’ll appreciate your dedication to perfection. For example on my grill over high heat, 6.5 minutes gives me a perfect medium rare.
8. Bloody isn’t better. I used to think I wanted my burgers black on the outside and red on the inside but cold meat wont release fat.  The juiciest burger is just shy of medium.
9. Don’t lose the juice. It takes one squish of the spatula to destroy all the hard work you put into the perfect, loosely packed patty. That one squish will also send all the juice and flavor into the fiery depths below. Treat your burgers to a light touch and turn them only once (halfway through the cooking time). And always keep your grill lid closed.

Tagged as: Grilling