Day 103: "A Whopper for the Copper!"
To go along with the great grilling debates of dry rub vs. sauce (both), charcoal or gas (there are strength and weaknesses for each), and boiling non-red meats before grilling them or not (don’t. What the fuck is the matter with you?) is how do you make the perfect burger?
There’s quite a few schools of thought on this.
- Some like to slice bacon thin and mix it in to the meat.
- Others throw in a packet of onion powder.
- Then there are those that put in egg, and bread crumbs, and spices, and milk.
I have no problem with the bacon thing, especially if all you could get was a 90/10 ratio for meat to fat, however, I like some red to my beef, and that’s iffy to do with bacon. The onion powder isn’t too bad, but it’s not my favorite thing in the world. As for the third option, are you making a burger, or a goddamn meatloaf? If you like it, more power to you, but for me it’s not that classic, righteous, ‘Merican burger.
I like a thinner burger that can cook fast, and like most of the red meat I eat; I prefer a seasoning with a kind of oil (olive usually), then give a nice coat of salt and pepper, and add to heat. Taste the meat, you know? I want to eat the burger, not a mix of ingredients.
Okay, now, here comes my own personal blasphemy, I actually prefer my burgers cooked on a skillet, pan fried, or a griddle.
I know, I know, but a little oil, butter, or bacon fat, on a smooth, piping-hot, metal surface, let the burger cook on one side, cook and the other, soak up all the flavor in the pan, and get some of its own juices back, and put on a toasted bun, perfection.
Also, it’s easier to melt the cheese on a pan or griddle, because you can just throw a lid over it, but hey, that’s just me.
Matt