I’m a purist:
[ul]one thin slice of red onion, raw
a slice of medium cheddar if I have it.
if the meat isn’t at least 1/2" thick, another pattie.[/ul]
I will consider other types of cheese*, waddya got?
*Note: for the purposes of this discussion, American is NOT considered cheese.
Sharp Cheddar
Ketchup
Yellow mustard
Mayonnaise
Dill pickles
Bacon
Lettuce (not iceberg)
Tomatoes
Grilled onions
The burger itself should be between rare and medium-rare. Mmmmmmmmmmm…now I’m making myself hungry. When’s dinner?
Grilled onions
Bleu Cheese or munster
Bacon
Lettuce
Ketchup
One point that no one made is how do you make the burger?
Hand made patties with diced green peppers and onions seasoned with fresh ground pepper,salt, and garlic powder.
Cooked on a grill of course (The forman will do nicely but I’m a purist, if you are going to grill, grill outside there are always ways)
Well, my father insists that the perfect hamburger consist of:
-Hamburger
-Bun
-Absolutely nothing else
But he lives in Texas.
For me:
-Medium rare burger
-Toasted bun
-Thick-cut pepper bacon
-Blue cheese
-Shredded green lettuce (not iceberg)
-Spicy brown mustard
Mmmmm…
Thick slab of meat.
Monterey Jack, 2 slices.
Red onion, 2 slices.
Mayonnaise.
Garlic pickle slices.
Thick slice of red ripe tomato.
One leaf of iceberg lettuce.
I’m drooling now so I’m off to dinner!
The classic Hamburger dressing, and therefore the perfect dressing, is:
A slice of raw onion
Red catsup
Brown mustard
Dill pickle relish
Any departure is simply indulgence in novo cuisine and is indicative of a decent into decadence. Do not question me on matters of taste and culture. I an right, everyone else is wrong.
Bratwurst my be doctored, but is best charred with raw brown mustard only, although a side of sauerkraut may be tolerated. Ladies of refined taste and weak sensibilities may take their bratwurst with a little pickle relish.
If I may be allowed to emulate Carls Jr. here…
Barbecue sauce
Onion rings
bacon
cheese
(and pray for me, West Coast Dopers. I’m stuck on the East Coast until December at least. No waffle fries. No fried zucchini. Nothing.)
OR, through much trial and error, I have come up with the following:
Thousand Island dressing
tomatoes
dill pickle chips
bacon
fried onions
green Tabasco
Some awesome recipes here. I’ll have to try some of them…
Of ones I’ve already tried I have 2 favorites:
horseradish sauce; pickles.
Marie’s blue cheese dressing; sliced ripe avocados; pickles.
Pickles (any type) are must on burgers, but most importantly, there MUST be a fresh bun for the burger. Nothing kills a good burger like a piece of stale bread. Blech.
Also, no cheese or ketchup, thank you.
Uh oh. Better stay out of Sheboygan, the Bratwurst capitol of America, lest you be subjected to haughty stares and out-and-out derision.
I would’ve agreed with you before my first Wisconsin pilgrimage…brown horseradishy mustard and kraut is a fine thing for any sausage sandwich…but my first double brat with the standard garnish – sliced pickle and a slab of pungent raw onion, a foaming seidel of pilsener on the side – changed my goddam life, sausagewise.
a chicken breast; ixnay the burger.
(sorry, had to)
I love a burger with:
Cheddar,
Swiss,
Mustard,
Pickles,
Red Onions,
Jalapenos.
I refer you to my stuffed hamburger recipe in Zenster’s excellent recipe thread. [sub]Although I can’t help but wonder what the point of his rib recipe is if he won’t reveal the secret mixture…[/sub]
Hey! Watch that, will ya? I live in Texas, too, and here’s how I like my burgers:
Hand-made patty of the best beef I can get, seasoned with Chachere’s, black pepper, savory, and (extra) garlic–grilled so that it’s done throughout (no rare burgers for me)
a thick slice of purple onion (not red, guys–trust me, they’re purple) from a wide, flat onion (those tend to be sweeter)
a slice of tomato from the garden, possibly accompanied by a single basil leaf
a leaf of romaine lettuce, or radicchio if I’m feeling adventurous
a lightly toasted kaiser roll with a touch of Ranch dressing on one half and a dab of French’s sweet onion yellow mustard on the other
Note: Cheese and bacon are reserved for making otherwise tasteless restaurant burgers more palatable. I don’t use them on homemade burgers.
Fresh ground round with diced onions, salt, lots of pepper, fried slowly in a cast iron skillet
Fresh Bun
Lettuce
Mayo
Tomato
Cheddar
Nothing better
Thanks to everyone here for making my dining decision for this evening a simple yet difficult one. Gotta be a burger, but which of the wonderful suggestions? And a special tip-o’-the-hat to Ukelele Ike for reminding me that things go better with pils, not Coke.
mmmm…beef tallow!
Before you top it, you have to make it…
We started grinding our own beef to bypass the e.coli concern. I use a slightly coarse grind so the burger has a nice texture to it. A nice medium rare, a slice or two of cheese and whatever the hell else I feel like slopping on, but under NO circumstances would I mix any onion soup, spices or other crap into the meat. Better to pay more for a better cut and then you won’t want to mask the taste. If the meat isn’t quite fatty enough, then a little pat of butter in the middle is acceptable, and downright welcomed.
The “Wump Burgur”
6oz baseball cut sirloin steak, cooked bleu rare.
Make it into hamburgur. (this allows for a med-rare burgur sans e-coli)
Add:
-BBQ sauce
-Mayo
-Dijon mustard
-Little bit of catchup
-Sligtly browned red onion slice.
-Romain lettuce leaf, right down to the core, folded to fit it inside the bun.
-Thick tomato slice.
-Slightly toasted bun.
Delicieux!!!
None of you losers likes green olives on your burger?
You do NOT know what you’re missing.
1 At least 1/2 lb of ground beef - mix in some chopped onions and an egg.
2 Cook med-rare on bbq
3 see if Opal wants one
4 put on plate - no bun
5 add 1 slice of goverment american cheese (not kraft, not dormans) - cold - don’t think of melting it
6 a good size slice of garden grown tomato (if it is store bought don’t dare use it on your burger - better to throw it at yoru neibors dog)
7 don’t even think of the k word.
8 Bacon - very crispy but not burnt
9 jalopinos are a very good option
10 relish is a good option
Oh yea that’s with ground beef that is at least 15% fat - perf 20%