Its’ Burger time! How to grill a juicy burger!
So it’s no secret that you can round any corner and find a fast-food burger joint. Fast-food? Are you kidding me? Okay, so I realize that sometimes we give in and grab a quick burger but are we ever satisfied? High end burger joints are proliferating with way too many places charging $10, $12, even $15 or more for a self-proclaimed masterpiece. But let’s get real…is there anything better than a fresh and hot burger off your own grill? Sadly the answer to that appears to be that you would rather go find a gourmet slab of meat somewhere else than your own backyard because of your own failed attempts to re-create the Magic Burger around the corner.
A few little tips might just sway your opinions and others of your own grilling attempts, so why not get started now! Prime grilling season will be here fast, and with Memorial Day coming up, Burgers, Dogs, and Brats will be sizzling across the land. Why not make yours the best possible!
First order of business is to ignore the pre-packaged meat and instead either grind your own, or have your butcher grind it up fresh for you. Cuts like chuck, sirloin, and round yield fat percentages of about 20%, 15%, and 11% respectively which translates to moisture and flavor. Those trying to cut down on the fat may wish to blend the chuck and sirloin which will retain most of the flavor and most of the moisture. Anything beyond a 90%/10% blend generally becomes very dry upon grilling, and that means bland and boring. Hate to say it but you just can’t beat a little fat finding its’ way into your burgers. Now I know lots of you like to add goodies to the burger mix which can be delicious if you don’t end up over-stuffing and/or overworking your mix. Handling the final mix too much will lead to tougher burgers, so thats’ a no-no. Sometimes onions, or cheese or seasonings will find their way in, but ultimately you need to let the charred meat itself shine. Try forming a lightly worked ball of meat, and then placing a pat of butter inside the ball, forming a patty around the butter, and then take your thumb and press a divot into the patty. This will prevent your burger from “crowning” which makes for a more evenly cooked burger. Before you pop that beautiful slab on the fire though you need to add some coarsely ground black pepper and some sea salt to the outside. Now here is the difference between gourmet burgers and dried out hockey pucks! Sear those slabs for a few minutes on each side over high heat, and then…..back it off the heat to finish cooking with indirect heat! How do you know when it’s done? (And don’t forget that all meats continue to cook well after they are removed from the heat….) Use your thumb! Best tester possible is to touch your thumb to the top…if the meat is tight…guess what..you have hockey pucks and better luck next time. But if the meat yields nicely to the touch then you are in business. It will take a little practice to perfect your skills but I guarantee those charred little meaties will become the hit of the party. Now if you overcooked the pattys then maybe you could create a makeshift Bocce court and use those charred rounds as Bocce balls. Let hope it doesn’t get to that point!
I think it’s time you got outside and made sure your grill is clean, and the grates are oiled up (safflower oil works great before you fire it up), and get your grill on!
Bon Apetit! Chef Craiger
