The Hamburger Thread

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve just been experimenting with burger construction for the last day or two and have made some observations:

[li]Thin patties make for tastier burgers[/li]
[li]Salting the patty during cooking is critical[/li]
[li]Buns really benefit from toasting[/li]
[li]A burger can be simple and still be good[/li]The usual suspects on my burger are:

[li]Mayonnaise[/li][li]Mustard[/li][li]Ketchup[/li][li]Lettuce[/li][li]Onion[/li][li]Tomato[/li]
Options include:

[li]Cheese (pretty important)[/li][li]Bacon[/li][li]Dill pickle[/li][li]Sweet pickle relish[/li]
Alternative styles:

[li]Chili burger (never saw the appeal of this)[/li][li]Guacamole (doesn’t float my boat)[/li][li]Green chiles (see above)[/li][li]Pineapple and teriyaki (too weird)[/li][li]Jalapeños (hi Chef Troy!)[/li]I just finished making one and was amazed at how good a simple burger can taste. I used only the basic ingredients:

[li]Cheese[/li][li]Mayonnaise[/li][li]Mustard[/li][li]Ketchup[/li][li]Lettuce[/li][li]Onion[/li][li]Tomato[/li]
This turned out much better than I expected. I’m a big fan of bacon cheese burgers with all of the trimmings, but the simplicity of this one really shone. The crisp vegetables allowed all of the burgery goodness to peek through the condiments. I’m beginning to think that there are some basic techniques that contributed to this, namely:

[li]Use a thin patty. Place a 3-4 ounce ball of ground meat on a sheet of waxed paper. Fold the paper over the meat and press flat (~¼ “-½” thick) with your hand. Pick up the patty and rotate it in your hand while pressing the edges inward to make a round shape. Make sure that the patty is one inch larger in diameter than the bun to account for shrinkage. Thick patties make for an unmanageable burger and do not have as much of the tasty crust per quantity of meat.[/li]
[li]Fry the patty with a half pat of butter. This prevents the crust of the meat from sticking to the pan.[/li]
[li]Salt and pepper the patty while it is frying in the pan.[/li]
[li]When melting the cheese it is better to have a small, thick piece of cheese that will spread out to the size of the burger. This prevents run-off of the cheese into the pan during the melting process. When I use processed cheese, I fold all of the corners into the center of the slice to make it more compact. This melts to the exact size of the patty.[/li]
[li]Lightly toast the inside of the bun. This helps to prevent it from getting soggy quite so fast as untoasted buns do.[/li]
[li]Use ketchup in moderation. I use a dollop the size of a nickel on each side. Same with the mustard. The sweetness of ketchup can quickly overwhelm the flavor.[/li]
[li]Onions and tomatoes benefit from being thin sliced and the burger does not end up a towering monstrosity.[/li]Anyway, there are some burger related thoughts. Please check in with your variations and favorite styles. Feel free to mention your earliest burger experiences and places that served your best or favorite burgers. We should probably have a separate thread just to discuss the mystique of the White Castle slider.

Because of what other posters have mentioned in the strange food combinations thread, I am going to have to try putting potato chips or French fries on a burger sometime. I also want to experiment with a pet project called the BLT burger where a patty of pork sausage stands in for the burger and a simple lettuce, Mayo and tomato condiment set does all of the work.

As usual, all of the weird meat recipes and topping sets are welcome here. Let’s see if we can come up with some winners. You limeys can check in with your Wimpy Bars and travelers or foreigners can regale us with tales of strange burgers in far off places.

Also of interest is the evolution of the “hamburger sandwich” into the hamburger that we know and love. Origins and statistics are all part of this thread devoted to a very American food.

2

My ideal cheeseburger:

  • Small amount of catsup.
  • Sweet bread-and-butter pickles (not the sour dill ones).
  • Chunky bleu cheese dressing (just a little bit, with at least one chunk).

Count me in for the potato chips on a burger - Ruffles plain are the best - the others are too salty.

Have to disagree with you on the pineapple/teriyaki combo - not weird, but quite exotic enough for me.

I use State Fair Spiedie marinade on my burgers (normally used in making Binghamton Spiedies).

Why? What does the salt do? (I generally do not use salt or pepper during cooking; should I start?)

3

Thin patties can be fine, but the raison d’etre of a burger is the burger. Best quality, fresh ground chuck (sirloin is too lean); made thick enough to hold an ice chip in the middle (may James Beard rest in peace); grilled or seared on hot cast iron long enough for the outside to be crispy/charred and the inside still rare/juicy. Sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper toward the end of cooking time.

The bun? Definitely toasted. The lightest possible swipe of unsalted butter on the toasted bun is acceptable, though not mandatory.

Toppings: a light swipe of good, dark mustard, paper-thin slices of onion (not cooked, though soaking them first and patting them dry to remove some of the “bite” is acceptable), one leaf of lettuce, a few slices of crisp dill pickle and a few thin slices of ripe vine tomato. (And a few splashes of Tabasco. I adore Tabasco.And mayo, though that’s optinal too.)And of course cheddar melted on a burger never really comes amiss.

That’s the classic, perfect burger. Oh, ketchup, A1, a few splashes of Worchestershire–those are fine but a bit rococco.

Exotic salsas, guacamole, sprouts, etc. are fine in their place: atop grilled chicken, for example. They’re just excessive on hamburgers.

Burger purist,
Veb

4

Thick or thin? Either will do.

I sometimes prefer teriyaki burgers, though I don’t go overboard with sweet stuff like sliced pineapple on top.

Instead of standard burger-buns, sourdough bread. On occasion, a light rye.

Cheese? I prefer Swiss.

The lettuce MUST be green, red, or romaine lettuce, something with taste and texture; none of that watery iceberg shit.

Toppings: Thin-sliced red onion, tomato, sometimes Ranch dressing, sometimes grilled mushrooms.

5

The secret ingredient for a good burger:

cream cheese. No, really.

6

Some observations:

Sirloin IMHO is not fatty enough -chuck has more chew and usually, more flavour. I did once, and only once, grind a rib-eye steak into hamburger (it was a little freezer burned, so don’t get 'em in a twist)and was blown away by the flavor.

Salt and pepper are essential before frying (grilling just doesn’t really do it for me, unless it’s over GOOD wood charcoal). Butter in the pan is excellent, but beef suet is also nice. Try flouring lightly before frying-this makes the crust crisper, and tends to seal in juices better.

Thousand Island dressing is a must, as are cheese (American, cheddar, bleu)and fresh iceberg lettuce. Pickle on the side, to be consumed between bites. Also should come with slice of red onion and watermelon on the side, but this is a California thing. Other notable CA hamburger greats include:
In-N-Out anything, and Carl’s Junior Western Bacon Cheesburger and Guacamole burgers. Now I must go mop drool off keyboard…

7

For me, no cheese, lotsa ketchup, mustard and pickles, but not enough so that it squirts out when you take a bite.