describe your ideal burger

[Paul Pless]

i've been on a burger cooking kick lately

how do you cook yours? grill or pan
what meat?
what seasoning?
condiments?
cheese?
toppings?
does bacon make it better?
bun choice?
accompaniments?

[Canoez]

i've been on a burger cooking kick lately

how do you cook yours? grill or pan
what meat?
what seasoning?
condiments?
cheese?
toppings?
does bacon make it better?
bun choice?
accompaniments?

Grilled ground short-rib burger with just a little salt and pepper and possibly a little onion powder mixed in.

Served on a lightly toasted brioche bun with a little mayo, slice of fresh tomato, vidalia onion and crisp lettuce _or_ a thick melted slice of cheddar cheese and bacon.

Accompany how you wish.

Does bacon make it better? Is that truly a question?

[David G]

Brilliant topic.

I'll be cooking burgers today for the New Grandbaby welcome home from the hospital celebration.

Grilled. And large diameter to fit on a larger bun.
80% lean ground beef
Typically a light bit of salt + pepper only - I want to taste the meat.
Condiments vary by mood. Most often mustard. Sometimes catsup, or specialty catsup. Never relish.
Cheese - only on rare occasions. More likely if it's just supermarket - or lower fat content - beef
Toppings vary again, by mood. Most likely are sliced tomato and pickle. Sometimes lettuce. Sauerkraut rarely
Bacon is mostly overkill. But same same as cheese.
Buns are typically oversized whole grain. Or something interesting like the local bagel joint that makes 'em so plump that the center hole is vestigial - perfect burger buns with lots of varieties.
Typical side dishes: potato salad; baked beans; cole slaw; greek salad; grilled mixed veggies; green salad.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

One that I didn't have to cook myself.

[Paul Pless]

these two blends sound good, well the first one sounds good

Fat Kid Blend: 70% lean muscle (chuck or round) ground with 30% bacon trimmings. This blend is meaty, smoky, and slightly sweet. Mylan suggests a lighter-smoked, breakfast-style bacon.

Fat Kid Blend, “World of Warcraft edition”: Fat Kid Blend with sharp cheddar cheese and sour-cream-and-onion potato chips mixed in. “If you’re an antisocial stoner agoraphobe, this is for you,”

[AlanMc]

man, i have recently changed philosophy on burgers. i used to be charcoal grilled, with a little splash of Dales and some fresh cracked tellicherry pepper corns.

but then i bought me a Blackstone outdoor griddle. and the times are a changin...


now i'm loving the "smash burger" method. take a bunch of 1/2 cup of ground beef balls out to the griddle. get that bad boy good and hot. put the ball on the dry griddle (i have a super thin layer of oil down, wiped "dry" with a paper towel). smash the ball into a patty on the griddle. season the patty liberally with my tellicherry pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt mix i make. DO NOT FLIP until you have to scrape it off. it leaves a nice crispy crunchy BEEF flavored patty.





here they are getting some mushroom, onions, covered in swiss action

[Canoez]

Buddy of mine was the cook at a local brew-pub. He had a burger on the menu called "The Squealer". It was about 75% lean beef, 20% ground pork and 5% chopped, partially pre-cooked smoky bacon. Served with a slice of cheddar, tomato, onion, lettuce and a dab of this sort of blended steak/bbq sauce on it. It's off the menu, now, but I'm drooling thinking about it.

[LeeG]

no cheese, no bacon, two slices ripe tomato, crispy romaine, red onion, pepper, salt, mayo, grilled jalapeño, a couple bread and butter pickles. And a hammock afterwards.

[leikec]

I just go to Bubba's in Traverse City and order one. Or I wait for Friday night and go to burger night at the VFW Hall here in Frankfort. There are lots of places to get a good burger up here.

My grilling time is reserved for cooking up cherry brats bought from a local market.

Jeff C

[Fonzoga]

This thread should be safe to participate in. As far as I've seen nobody has been called a socialist or Nazi based on burger preferences.

Grilled
ground sirloin from local butcher shop
salt, fresh ground black pepper
Trader Joe Sriracha BBQ sauce
no cheese
chopped raw yellow onion, Trader Joe Hot & Sweet jalapeno slices
no bacon
no bun (I'm watching carbs to lose weight.)

I like lots of different burger combos, but this has been my recent go-to.

German potato salad, cole slaw

[Figment]

Griddled or grilled I don't care as long as the cook knows how to sear it without going hockeypuck.

I don't particularly care which cut gets ground as long as the fat content is about 15-18%

Garlic salt mixed in while forming the patty. Pepper afterward.

A slice of cheddar, a slice of jack
grilled onions and mushrooms
A smear of super woo-woo-pinky-out fancypants mustard on warm simple bun. No brioche or pretzel or other trying too hard nonsense.

[Garret]

Local grass fed chuck - about 15-20%

Grilled is best. Local cheddar on it, fresh real tomato, thin slice of red onion, salt & fresh ground pepper on the raw meat before cooking.

Medium rare. Bit of ketchup on the side to dip it into.

[willmarsh3]

I like mine slow grilled all the way through so no part of the beef is red but it is not burnt. This takes longer if the patty is thick so I try to make it thin to begin with. Chopped onion or chopped garlic from a clove added the patty before cooking is a nice variation.

Then ketchup, gray poupon or spicy mustard, and a boat load of pickles or pickle relish. I mean the dang thing is largely an excuse to eat pickles and pickle relish. I add lettuce, tomato and onions if available.

No cheese and absolutely no mayonnaise.

[Tom Montgomery]

I like James Beard's cheeseburgers.

Mix and form into patties:

2 lbs ground chuck
1 cup grated cheese (I like sharp Cheddar. Gruyere would also be nice)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco (or hot sauce of choice)
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt

[ron ll]

Anything with real meat instead of thawed long frozen gray cardboard filler meal. Seems these days too much thought is put into the fixins and not enough into the meat.

[Hugh Conway]

picked up this cookbook

"A Burger to Believe in"
and it has a damn good burger in it. Buns are good, the idea of cheese mayo is great, damn good burger.

[Paul Pless]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

[SKIP KILPATRICK]

80% lean ground beef.
salt, ground pepper, & Worcestershire
leave out until room temperature
Grilled over charcoal fire to nice medium pink center
served on potato roll (bottom slice) smeared with Duke's mayonnaise
topped with Hanover tomato, thin sliced red onion, Mt Olive brand dill pickle chips, Heinz Ketchup, French's Yellow mustard.

[Canoez]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

While off the burger topic, there used to be a fried chicken sandwich served with a fried egg with a runny yoke. Was called "The Mother and Child Reunion".

[AlanMc]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

and?

[leikec]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

If you want a burger, eat a burger...

Jeff C

[willmarsh3]

I forgot about the bun. It should be round, not too soft and have sesame seeds or poppy seeds on it.

[David G]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

I've done that, and loved it.

I'm not sure at what point a burger is no longer a burger. A matter of interpretation, I suppose. But I don't much care... if it's delicious.

Whole grain buns or bagel-buns (say, isn't that one of Kat's pet names for you?<G>) help with the fall-apart thing. Same reason I prefer a more substantial bread of pulled-pork sandwiches... instead of the traditional WhiteBread. Heresy... I know. But I choose it nonetheless.

[ron ll]

so i really like the idea of a fried egg with a runny yoke on my burger
but then they inevitably become burgers that fall about and get really messy to eat

The original Red Robin near the UW campus before they became a chain, had a page of "Knife and Fork" burgers on the menu. The one with the fried egg was on that page.

[ron ll]

For buns, the original Hales Brewery would make their hamburger buns (and pizzas crusts and soft pretzels) with spent grain from the brewery. Now that was tasty bread.

[heimlaga]

I have never understood the concept of eating hamburger steak with two slices of white bread. White bread isn't food.

Hamburger steak with boiled potatoes and brown gravy is my favourite. Potatoes are food.

We usually mix some mashed boiled potatoes and plenty of finely hacked onions and an egg or two with the mince meat when making hamburger steak. This makes the meat go further.

[Garret]

and?

Exactly my thought.

Going OT from burgers: while some might call it sacrilege, I love hash - corned beef, roast beef, roast pork - you name it. For a quick & easy hash, good burger makes an excellent one.

[David G]

OK... now y'all are edging into ChiliBurger territory.

[Breakaway]

Whatever you choose, take a pat of butter and place it in the center of the meatball before pressing it out into a burger. Butter-centered burgers are da bomb.

Kevin

[CWSmith]

Jalapeno and blue cheese, grilled onions if I can get them, maybe some BBQ sauce.

Oh, and BIG!

[pkrone]

1 lb ground turkey, 1/2 lb chorizo. grilled, topped with slice of tomato and a schmear of guacamole, on a pretzel bun.

[Paul Pless]

^ vascular surgeon?

[Ted Hoppe]

A hamburger that saves the planet.

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Beyond burger - the meatless burger is a start.

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[David G]

Yes - we've forgotten all about sauteed mushrooms as a topping. We are SO bad. They are delicious. Add swiss cheese, and it's marvelous.

[S.V. Airlie]

Brilliant topic.

I'll be cooking burgers today for the New Grandbaby welcome home from the hospital celebration.

Grilled. And large diameter to fit on a larger bun.
80% lean ground beef
Typically a light bit of salt + pepper only - I want to taste the meat.
Condiments vary by mood. Most often mustard. Sometimes catsup, or specialty catsup. Never relish.
Cheese - only on rare occasions. More likely if it's just supermarket - or lower fat content - beef
Toppings vary again, by mood. Most likely are sliced tomato and pickle. Sometimes lettuce. Sauerkraut rarely
Bacon is mostly overkill. But same same as cheese.
Buns are typically oversized whole grain. Or something interesting like the local bagel joint that makes 'em so plump that the center hole is vestigial - perfect burger buns with lots of varieties.
Typical side dishes: potato salad; baked beans; cole slaw; greek salad; grilled mixed veggies; green salad.

The same here but, NO PICKLE and I rarely use mustard. Everything else is about right.No mention of how it's cooked, me RARE!