I am a burger purist. A burger should not contain any thing other than good quality ground beef. And by good quality I mean steak or good chuck, avoid buying ground beef because it is mostly left overs and can harbor bacteria. I am cheap and do own a meat grinder. I use a food processor or my knife to grind my beef. Currently, my favorite blend is 1 lb. short rib and 1 lb. chuck eye steak. SMASH YOUR BURGERS! USE A GRIDDLE, NOT A GRILL! SALT THE HELL OUT OF YOUR MEAT! AMERICAN CHEESE IS THE ONLY CHEESE! DO NOT SALT THE MEAT EARLY! Here's a breakdown of what I am talking about: Smashing your burgers is a great way to make them, the venerable Shake Shake, Bill's Bar and Burger, and Steak and Shake all smash their burgers. This will not result in a dry burger if done right. Use a griddle because it cook evenly and is much easier to manage correctly, a grill is unstable and unruly. Salt is the most important and the reason restaurant food tastes better than yours. Salt the burger until it looks like a snow ball, pepper is a good too but a light hand will be rewarded in the pepper department. American cheese is the only cheese for a burger because it melts better than any other cheese, cheddar gets sweaty and gross, bleu is too powerful and is used to mask poor quality meat and everything else is a waste or good cheese. American is a classic for a reason! Adding salt to the mince will denature the proteins and cause them to tangle making the burger into a spongy hockey puck. This is a common mistake and should be avoided at all costs.
Okay here's how I make my burgers: My take is the original smashed burger style: small, smashed and simple. Only onions are the condiment on my burgers. After grinding the short rib and chuck eye steak. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and portion out your burgers, pack lightly. Heat a cast iron pan for 10 minutes on medium high heat. Salt the burgers on both sides until they look almost all white. Add to griddle, let it sit for 30 seconds, smash!!!! Use a small skillet or big spatula. Even pressure is key! The patty should be a about 1/4 thick. Allow to cook for another 1 minute. Scrape the patty off the griddle and flip. Immediately add a slice of American cheese, cook for another 1 minute. Remove to a plate to rest. Meanwhile butter and toast your buns on the hot griddle, usually about 30 seconds. Add burger to bottom bun and add a few strips of thinly, thinly sliced red onion. Add top bun. DONE.
Variations on the theme: Top with caramelized onions, extra American cheese, for a slider style, smash the thinly sliced onion into the burger.
There are burger purists, and I'm not one of them. One of my favorites is to mix black beans, chunks of bacon, minced garlic and chopped up parsley. Don't forget the S&P. Don't overcook. YUM!
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Okay here's how I make my burgers: My take is the original smashed burger style: small, smashed and simple. Only onions are the condiment on my burgers. After grinding the short rib and chuck eye steak. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and portion out your burgers, pack lightly. Heat a cast iron pan for 10 minutes on medium high heat. Salt the burgers on both sides until they look almost all white. Add to griddle, let it sit for 30 seconds, smash!!!! Use a small skillet or big spatula. Even pressure is key! The patty should be a about 1/4 thick. Allow to cook for another 1 minute. Scrape the patty off the griddle and flip. Immediately add a slice of American cheese, cook for another 1 minute. Remove to a plate to rest. Meanwhile butter and toast your buns on the hot griddle, usually about 30 seconds. Add burger to bottom bun and add a few strips of thinly, thinly sliced red onion. Add top bun. DONE.
Variations on the theme: Top with caramelized onions, extra American cheese, for a slider style, smash the thinly sliced onion into the burger.
Oh, and cook it on a charcoal grill.