With a whisper of Memorial Day hanging in the air, I went on the hunt for the best burger recipe I could find. I wanted something juicy and meaty with lots of toppings and a buttery, buttery bun—the perfect edible announcement of summer’s imminent arrival. Where better to look than the Food52 archives?
I searched our site for the most popular burger and, as it turns out, the burger you all love the most isn’t even a burger! Not in the traditional sense, at least. Gena Hamshaw’s Black Bean and Corn Burger is the most favorited, most visited burger recipe on our site. It’s an ideal one for summer—layers of sweet corn announce the season, chili powder and paprika pack an unexpected punch. Leave it to Food52 readers to gravitate toward the unconventional!
One user, Leemoe Jones, had this to say about the recipe: “I made these last night and they were simply amazing! I had no trouble at all, just had to add a tiny bit of liquid to get the bean mix to process, and then a dash more oats to get the consistency right. Made six good sized patties, and we wrapped them in lettuce with sautéed shallots, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Definitely will double the batch next time and freeze.”
Sounds like good advice to me.
As a follow-up, I looked for the most popular meaty burger we had to offer, and even that defied convention. Suzanne Goin’s Genius Grilled Pork Burgers take the cake—we uploaded her burger to the site in 2013 and since then it’s racked up an impressive 762 favorites. Her patty is loaded with Mexican chorizo and smoked bacon, and instead of beef she uses ground pork as her main meat. On top, she recommends slathering a hearty aioli punched with nuts, tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Catch me throwing these patties on the grill come Memorial Day.
When it comes to mincing bacon the best way, take this expert advice from our creative director, Kristen Miglore: “With a sharp knife! Barring that, partially or completely freezing the slices can help too. I stacked a few slices, cut them in half lengthwise and stacked again, then sliced lengthwise, then crosswise, and then sliced through the whole pile several more times—you really want them to be in tiny pieces.”
What's your go-to burger? Tell us all about it in the comments.
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Written by: Valerio Farris
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