I don't eat many hamburgers, but when I do, I want it to be spectacular. Most people have their favorite burger joint (mine's Booches, in Columbia, MO), but it seems the burgers I cooked at home were never as good as my favorite. I would buy my ground beef, season it with all kinds of seasoning (dry and wet), mix it, form it in a ball, make a nice patty, throw it on the charcoal grill…but it always seemed tough -- I was never quite satisfied—Until recently!
I was watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS (see link below), and they were making what they claimed to be the best burger. I tried the recipe (with a few revisions of my own), and my wife and I loved them. The key is grinding your own meat, handling it as little as possible, and cooking it in a skillet on the stove. I always thought I had to have a meat grinder, but it can be done in a food processor and it turns out great…Here are the details.
Equal parts boneless beef short ribs and Sirloin
White Onions, thinly sliced
Cheese (American or your favorite)
Salt & Pepper
Potato Buns (toasted)
Cut the meat into 1-1 ½ " chunks, place on a cooking sheet or plate, and put in the freezer until meat is firm. Take equal parts of each cut of meat, and place in a food processor with metal blade. Don't overload your food processor--it may take several batches to grind all your meat. Pulse for 1 second about 8-12 times--until meat is similar in consistency to ground beef you would find in the grocery store (If you are unsure, keep it on the courser side).
Dump the ground meat on a flat surface, and with as little handling as possible, form into fairly thin, loose patties. Add salt and pepper to one side, and place seasoned side down in a medium-hot pre-heated skillet (preferably an iron skillet). Season the other side of the patty with Salt and Pepper while in pan. Meanwhile, toast your buns in a pan.
Place a handful of onions on raw side of meat. Cook the first side 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned. Carefully turn burger, place cheese on top, and cook another 2-3 minutes (You should end up with a medium burger with little or no pink in the middle). You may have to place a lid on your pan to get the cheese melted. Take the burger from the pan making sure you get all your onions, and place on the bun. Normally, I like tomatoes, lettuce, and an array of other toppings, but these burgers are good on their own. I put a little yellow mustard, and it was perfect. Of course you can decide how you want your burger, but taste it before you top it!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/video/?docid=25361 (Link to "Best Burger and Fries" America's Test Kitchen, PBS. Season 10 Episode 1022)
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