Grilling Burgers: What Not to Do

Posted by bellastraniera - 22/05/09 at 12:05 pm

This hilarious bad review of RF O’Sullivan’s in Boston by A Hamburger Today reminded me: there are so many people that don’t know how to cook a burger. Why? Because it’s not as easy as it seems. Once you clear away several widely-held misconceptions, however, it gets a lot easier.

1. Do not use any kind of “lean” ground beef. “Lean” ground chuck is to meat what Snackwells are to cookies: blasphemy. There’s no need to be afraid of the fat in regular ground chuck. When you are cooking the meat, the fat heats up and liquifies, running out of the burger and leaving a much airier texture behind. Lean meat, on the other hand, results in dense, less flavorful burgers. Remember: fat is the conduit of flavor.*
2. Don’t buy gourmet buns. Gourmet rolls, as mentioned in this review, tend to be too crusty and hard for a sandwich. The bun should meld to the burger. You’re better off with regular old sesame seed buns.
3. Buy your meat from a butcher. Burgers are all about the quality of the meat. If you have a neighborhood butcher, or even a Whole Foods with a butcher, that’s a better source for meat than an average supermarket.
4. Don’t buy pre-made patties. You can buy them, but don’t expect them to taste good.
5. Use salt and pepper. Try about 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper per 2 lbs. of meat. Mix the salt and pepper in thoroughly. If you want to check the seasoning, cook a tablespoon of meat in a pan and taste.
6. Do not use any other seasoning. Put the Worcestershire sauce, spice rubs, and hot sauce down and step slowly away. The only seasoning good meat needs is salt and pepper. Anything else will ruin it.
7. Make the hamburger patties at least as wide as the buns and flatten them slightly. A burger as big and round as your fist may look manly, but they’re almost impossible to cook to the desired amount of doneness. Also, remember they will shrink as they cook.
8. Prepare all the ingredients in advance. There’s nothing fun about shaping hamburger patties on a picnic table or trying to slice an onion on a blanket in the park.
9. You should only see flames licking the burger in a Burger King commercial, not in real life. As noted in the RF O’Sullivan’s review, high flames, though they may look cool, will result in a leathery exterior. If using a coal grill, wait until all the coals are consistently gray with no black spots before putting the burgers on (i.e., wait until the grill has cooled down some to an even, medium temperature). If using a gas grill, it should be hot enough that the burgers sizzle when they hit the grill, but not so hot that they burst into flame. Cover a gas grill on medium to contain the heat.
10. Put the cheese on the burger while it’s on the grill. It sounds dumb, right? But so many people figure they can slap the cheese on afterwards for whoever wants cheeseburgers and everything will taste the same. It won’t – the cheese will be cold, not properly melted onto the burger.
11. Gently press on the burger to test if it’s done. For medium rare, the burger should feel the same as the flesh on the palm of your hand – plumply resistant, not totally mushy. For well-done, cook until the burger barely moves under the spatula when you press it.

* It is true Minetta Tavern’s Pat LaFrieda burgers are made with steak, which is a lean cut of meat. But they are also a blend of several different kinds of meat, perhaps even plain fat, so lean ground chuck is not an equivalent. They are also very thick, but they’re grilled on a professional broiler, not the Weber Smoky Joe you have. This burger is not for home cooks, so don’t even try.

Related posts:

• More Burger Tips
• Summer Entertaining: Grilled Pepper Steak With Salad
• Jeanne’s Potatoes au Gratin
• Pasta with Wild Mushroom Sauce
• Keens

Posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Tags: burgers, the copycat chef.
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