It’s really hard to blog dinner recipes right now because I am mostly just throwing random food on the grill. I have mostly been making burgers, steaks, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables that are simply grilled over charcoal. I thought I would update my burger recipe because I have really refined this. There are a lot of fancy things out there with people grinding their own brisket and steak for burgers. One day I would like to go on that adventure. For now I like to use a ground beef with about 30% fat. You can buy leaner meats but your burgers will suffer. The extra fat is where all the flavor is kept. My favorite cheese for burgers right now is creamy havarti, it is to die for. And of course I always have extra bacon around which makes any burger even more insanely good. The other key to a great burger is the pickles. I prefer boars head dill sandwich pickles.
You will also need a perfect bun (don’t worry, I am working on a recipe!) like a brioche or onion roll. Fresh Market has the most impressive brioche burger buns. But I cannot count the number of times we have eaten burgers on the 4 hour baguettes. When I am trying to be healthy and we have extra burgers, I eat them for lunch without buns. These burgers are so delicious they don’t even need bread. But in all honesty, I usually pity people who are trying to be low carb and eat a juicy burger without a perfectly toasted bun. Mostly because if you don’t buy buns, how can you have extra buns around for bun fights with your friends. I like to have light red wines with burgers. But there is nothing more perfect than a dry rosé before dinner on hot summer days. Your grill master will definitely appreciate it if you bring him a glass of Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence. This is a very refreshing, light pink wine from France. Here is an updated recipe for how we are making burgers this summer.
Burgers, Summer 2014
1 pound 75% lean ground beef
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 dashes liquid smoke
1 tsp ground onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs (you can substitute panko)
1 egg
4 brioche buns (plus extra to throw at your friends)
Optional but not really optional: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, your favorite cheese, ketchup, mustard
Mix together the ground beef, Worcestershire, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and dry seasonings. Use your hands to mash everything together until it is all evenly incorporated. Mix in the bread crumbs. Add the egg last, making sure to mix it well into the ground beef.
Divide the meet into 4 similar sized balls (I like to use a kitchen scale and weigh out 4 oz portions). Form the patties by pushing out from the center and rotating in your hands to hold the meet tight together. You want the center to be a bit thinner than the outer edge of the patties.
Prepare your charcoal or gas grill to a medium heat fire. Cook the patties for 4-6 minutes per side. 135 degrees will be medium but you can cook them to your desired level of doneness. (This will also vary depending on grill temperatures.)
This is a Bubbly Kitchen original recipe.