For most Americans, this weekend signifies the beginning of bbq season. For nutjobs like myself, bbq season never ends. To help celebrate, we'd like to help you learn to grill up the perfect burger. To do that, we've enlisted the help of Epicurious' burger school. Grillmasters Steven Raichlen, host of Barbecue University on PBS, and Chris Schlesinger, coauthor of The Thrill of the Grill and How To Cook Meat, are ready to walk us through the process.
Above all, you should avoid store-bought meat and get the freshly ground stuff from a local butcher. Our friends at Epicurious explain that it will cut back on any excess bacteria, allowing you to safely cook your burgers medium-rare, but I also think your local butcher will likely have better quality meat, which should always be your top concern. Here are a just a few of the points the burger experts have for us:
Any tips on forming the patties?
"Cold meat and cold, wet hands," says Raichlen. "Chill your hands under cold running water, then work as gently and quickly as possible so as not to bruise or heat the meat." Handling the meat delicately prevents the burgers from getting too dense and firm, and keeping it cold prevents the fat from melting, which would also make the burgers tougher. Both Schlesinger and Raichlen favor thick patties — at least one inch thick — so they can develop a seared crust on the outside while still staying pink on the inside.
What's the best way to cook burgers?
Start with a clean, oiled, hot grill. "First sear them over high heat to develop a crust, then move them to a cooler part of the grill to cook," says Schlesinger. "And be sure not to press down on them while cooking — this will only squeeze out the juices and dry them out." Neither he nor Raichlen recommends barbecue or steak sauces, which just cover up the flavor of a perfect burger. "I take a less-is-more approach," says Raichlen.
Here's to some good grilling! Also, if anyone out there has a fabulous recipe or an essential grilling technique, be sure to leave a comment or send us an email.
The best non-obvious burger tip I know, which holds for grilling or pan-frying, is one I learned from Cook's Illustrated: form your patty in the shape of a big red blood cell, with a divot in the middle. Kind of like a small, meaty pizza crust with a lip around the edge.
Why? Because if you do this, you end up with a burger of equal thickness across its entire diameter, rather than the near-spherical thing you'll end up with if you make a thick burger without a divot. Try it. It rocks.
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For most Americans, this weekend signifies the beginning of bbq season. For nutjobs like myself, bbq season never ends. To help celebrate, we'd like to help you learn to grill up the perfect burger. To do that, we've enlisted the help of Epicurious' burger school. Grillmasters Steven Raichlen, host of Barbecue University on PBS, and Chris Schlesinger, coauthor of The Thrill of the Grill and How To Cook Meat, are ready to walk us through the process.
2 Comments:
Ode de la cheeseburger:
I married a cheeseburger once.
I got hungry and ate him.
He made a better meal than he did a husband.
Diet, schmiet
I say, if you can't eat a god damn cheeseburger when you want, life's not worth living.
Hamburger Ms. Smart at 10:07PM on 05/27/05
The best non-obvious burger tip I know, which holds for grilling or pan-frying, is one I learned from Cook's Illustrated: form your patty in the shape of a big red blood cell, with a divot in the middle. Kind of like a small, meaty pizza crust with a lip around the edge.
Why? Because if you do this, you end up with a burger of equal thickness across its entire diameter, rather than the near-spherical thing you'll end up with if you make a thick burger without a divot. Try it. It rocks.
Hamburger Matthew Amster-Burton at 7:40PM on 05/28/05