Wednesday, November 11, 2009

More catch up - Making a great burger

This one is for all you burger lovers. I’ve searched high and far, and found some pretty consistently delicious burgers, which I thought I’d share with you here. Make 'em yourself or try them at a restaurant, these are some of my favorites.

First is the Black and Blue. Sadly, a lot of places get this wrong, charring a burger then throwing a little blue cheese on top. They suck though. This burger is rolled in Cajun seasoning (the blackening), and then topped with a heaping amount of blue cheese, which is allowed to get gooey and delicious. The cool and bitter cheese plays exceedingly well with the spiciness of the burger, leading to a beautiful match. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try a little spicy mayo on the bun, and maybe some fresh lettuce. Simple but delicious.

The second has many names, although I like The Aloha Burger. It’s a burger, topped with pineapple, basted with soy sauce. The soy is salty and savory, and mixes well with the sweet pineapple. The burger is a nice method for delivery here because it provides a firm foundation and the tastes mix well with the meat. If you feel the need to use cheese, only American. Any kind of strong cheese here would conflict with the pineapple and the soy, and ruin the purpose. Red Robin does a killer iteration of this burger, which I would have to recommend.

Finally is a burger yet to be named, points if you can come up with something good. This burger involves mixing in EITHER onion powder, garlic powder, and season-all into the meat, OR mixing in onion soup mix (those little packets) into the meat. Either way you end up with an incredibly juicy and savory burger that tastes of all the best spices. Despite not being some arcane combination of ingredients, both of these recipes produce a fantastic burger, good with any combination of toppings. This is a make yourself kind of deal, and has produced the best burgers I've ever tasted.

Anyway, go forth and try these recipes! And Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. Next time you do burgers try doing your meat with 1/3 ground chuck, 1/3 ground loin and 1/3 ground lamb, makes a world of difference.

    Also try making a fatty melt. Best when using thinly sliced sourdough. Basically make two grilled cheese sandwiches and then make a cheese burger with bacon and use the sandwiches as the buns, one on each side.

    A few other good ones are stuffing the patty with grilled onions or blue cheese or a little pad of butter.

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  2. Oh another good one is a burger with herb cream cheese and grilled green chili`s. damn I miss good burgers

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  3. y'know, I've been dying to try cream cheese, does it end well?

    also, I tried stuffing a burger with blue cheese, but it all seemed to leak out/otherwise disappear, so by the time I ate it, there was just a residual flavor. Is there a trick to it?

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  4. Oh the cheese cheese is good.

    As for the stuffing the key is to not add too much and to make sure you seal it well around the edges. Your best bet is to make two paddies and then pinch the edges together once you have the cheese in it. Also dont ever push the burger down.

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