Maybe the gods have taken pity on me for this week.
Perhaps I’ve finally paid my dues in purgatory and have been given my reward
Probably, this was just lucky, truth be told.
2 Lbs hamburger meat
2 cloves garlic through garlic press
About an inch of ginger root grated on the fine side of a cheese grater
Paprika
Rubbed sage
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Mix all the herbs and seasonings to taste into the meat and make the patties.
Heat the pan to very hot, put the patties in, wait a moment or two and put a splash of rice vinegar on each pattie (I used Kong Yen brand). Once you’re satisfied with the sear on the first side and the vinegar has diffused through out the pattie, reduce the heat a bit and flip them over and put a splash of sesame oil on each pattie (I used Kadoya brand)
Note that this was cooked on an electric range, your range and cooking times may differ
Served mine with mild cheddar on some and colby jack on others. I ate mine with a single slice of raw white onion on sourdough bread, no other condiments.
I have just invented "almost teryaki"
Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms would have been perfect. Alas, throwing things together with no plan or idea how it will turn out doesn’t always allow for having the exact perfect item on hand.
The vaderling of course said it was awful, between bites, as he snarfed two down
Very interesting Italian / Asian mix of flavor profiles. I like to get creative with different flavor combos, but I wouldn’t have thought to combine paprika/sage/oregano/basil with ginger/rice vinegar/sesame oil. I’m intruigued. I think I have all these ingredients, so I might try this out myself this week…
By “pepper” do you mean black pepper or chile? Either way would be good. I’d definitely enjoy your burger.
But, my preference for hamburger is unadulterated ground beef, shaped into patty form and grilled over open flame. Adding anything to the meat covers up its flavor. I will sometimes add some salt or sweet relish or ketchup after cooking if I’m in the mood.
One could have philosophical arguments all night about whether the purist approach or creative approaches to seasoning the patty are better. The OP’s recipe does sound good, but I would take issue with the pan-frying and am with you on the open-flame grilling.
I’ve found my ideal raw pre-formed patty at one particular grocery store known for its meat quality. Strangely enough, I find their burgers grill better than the ones from an upscale boutique grocery whose superb (and pricey!) products I usually prefer. They are fairly low-fat, but usually with just enough to create smokiness over the grill and sometimes the occasional flareup, and just the right thickness. The result is a superb texture, seared and smoky on the outside and juicy in the inside. I like steaks medium-rare but with burgers I aim for medium to medium-well.
My methodology is to then add your preferred cheese, put it on a good bun that’s been lightly toasted on the grill, and the rest is a matter of how you dress it up. I generally keep it simple: freshly chopped white onion is mandatory, along with a tomato slice, garlic pickle slice, and ketchup, and perhaps a bit of romaine lettuce.
Regarding flame grilling vs. pan frying debate, a few months back I discovered that a cast iron frying pan on medium to medium-high heat does a decent job of recreating the taste of a burger cooked on a flat-top grill from a classic greasy spoon diner. Like, for example, Sacramento’s sadly now closed Jim-Denny’s.
Huh. I prefer a burger fried vs one grilled and I’m all about outdoor cooking over live coals and wood. In fact, I have a flat top that I use outside for when I want to make burgers. OP lost me at any mixing anything into a burger though. Loosely handled meat, and whatever you want to sprinkle on it, but don’t manhandle the meat!
You and me both. We’ve had this discussion in the past, I know. Frying in a really hot skillet gives an even sear all over, without having to eat ashes.
Interesting recipe. I would try it. I might even like it. But
yup. And also
Yup. I try not to handle the meat too much, and I find that makes a huge difference.
(I also rarely eat fast food burgers, which don’t really taste like burgers to me.)
It’s hard to argue about that with someone that has “chef” in his name, but honestly, I’ve pretty consistently found grilling vs either pan-frying or broiling to be far superior, but that’s grilling or pan-frying by me. I know that there some wonderful old authentic French recipes for pan-frying many things, including steaks. And I do find pan-fried mushrooms to be the best way of doing them.
What I will say with definite authority, though, is that if your problem with grilled foods is “eating ashes”, then either the grill-person is doing it wrong or he/she needs a new grill, like a Weber which provides even heat and any flareups are very brief as long as you keep the elements over the burners (they used to call them “flavor bars”) clean, so that any drippings drain off.
There are some things that will just char very quickly over any open flame, like the wonderful skin-on chicken breasts I sometimes get from an upscale deli that are marinated in beautiful seasonings and olive oil. The solution here is that Webers are excellent at both controlled even heat and also at indirect cooking. I’ve sometimes given that chicken a brief time over open flame, but most of the cooking is done with the direct heat under the chicken breasts turned off, and the barbecue heated by one burner on the other side. They turn out crisp and golden and tons better than if done in the oven.
I’m in the pan fry in a hot cast iron skillet school myself, good sear, good flavor, don’t have to maintain a grill (ok, the last part is shear laziness, but it does contribute to my total happiness). I favor a good 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef, rough shaped patty, which is sprinkled with salt prior to cookie, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper after resting. While condiments and cheese are deeply personal, I think the buns deserve an extra mention.
I use Alton Brown’s Pretzels
Make for great burger buns when used to make medium sided rolls. I take one, slice it in half, and prior to searing the burgers, I melt a bit of hot butter in the cast iron skillet and give the cut side of the buns a little bit of love. The fat helps prevent the burger juices (I go for medium) from sogging the bun, as well as add color, flavor and a bit of crunch. Brioche, a good chiabatta, onion kaisers, or other breads of heft add a lot to a burger, no one wants a strong burger slapped between what tastes like stale wonderbread.
Regarding mixing stuff into the meat. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Just depends on my mood.
About grill or BBQ vs pan. Working with what I got. And between trying to pay down the last legal rounds with the ex and trying to keep up with the fees for the current court Battle, buying a new one to replace the one she took with her has been pretty low priority.
Mixing different cuisine cultures, yanno, I didn’t even think about that when I did it. I was just not in the mood for plain burgers and basically just threw whatever was in the cupboard at the meat. And it worked, way better than I expected.
Actually, I do a lot of cooking that way, sometimes its great and sometimes it’s merely edible.
As I said in the op, all the ingredients are to taste, so if you do try it, let me know what you came up with for a final flavor, since your “to taste” is probably different than mine. I thought it was very like teryaki but nooot quite.
Yeah, I was kind of surprised at the hate for mixing things into the ground meat. Yes, a good steak should have nothing more than salt and pepper, and I can understand appreciating an unadulterated burger, but it’s ground beef, it kind if lends itself to mixing stuff in. I mean, what about meatballs?
Which, actually, the first thing I thought when I saw the OP’s recipe was, “that might make some great meatballs!”. My kids are kind of finicky so I make a lot of kid-friendly stuff for dinner like spaghetti and meatballs, but they are starting to appreciate spice, so I’ve been experimenting with jazzing up the meatballs. For instance I made some meatballs with coriander, cardamom and ground chiles that were outstanding.
Okey dokey, semantics. If y’all like your meatdisks unalduterated that’s fine. If you want to mix stuff in I think it’s also fine. It’s ground beef, it’s a versatile ingredient.
Argue away. I’m not a chef, just a good cook. I’m all about eating whatever one prefers. My comment about ashes was tongue-in-cheek. When I make burgers, they’re of the ‘smash-burger’ variety, which lends itself very well to pan frying. You need a very hot pan (or griddle) and a very short cook time to get it right (two minutes on a side), or you end up with shoe leather. People tend to overcook burgers, especially on a grill for some reason, although I concede the point to those who have mastered the art of grilling.
I don’t understand why cooking away from direct heat on a grill would be significantly different from cooking in an oven. Is it just the addition of a brief sear over direct heat, with some smoke?
Ground beef, like biscuit dough, gets tough and less appealing if it’s worked. Meat balls are very small, so it doesn’t matter that they tend to be rubbery.
I tend to combine the two methods and cook my burgers on a cast iron griddle pan placed on a covered grill.
I’m also a fan of manhandling the burgers and zhuzhing them up with spices, chopped onions, sometimes an egg. Sometimes I’ll cut up frozen butter into very small cubes and mix them into the burgers just before cooking. Last time I made burgers, I combined a pound of grass fed beef and ground elk, lightly seasoned with Montreal Steak Spice. It was a very intense meaty flavor profile.
True, they are not fall apart tender as otherwise unadulterated beef patties. But every bit a good burger, and I’ll fight anyone who calls them meatballs.
Loosely handled meat, and whatever you want to sprinkle on it, but don’t manhandle the meat!