One look and you know what I’m talking about: two patties, smoked pork loin, aged cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayonnaise.  A culmination of all my burger wants barely fitting between two toasted buns.

]]> http://food.ebabble.net/double-bacon-cheeseburger/feed 0 http://food.ebabble.net/burger-quest-cheese http://food.ebabble.net/burger-quest-cheese#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:00:14 +0000 Scott VanderPloeg http://food.ebabble.net/?p=34 I can’t imagine a hamburger without cheese, so I guess it’s cheeseburgers only for me.  Over the years I’ve tried dozens of types of cheese on my burgers and have come to a conclusion: nothing gives a mighty cheese flavour like processed cheese slices or “American” cheese.

Gourmet burger recipes call for sharp cheddar, gorgonzola and any number of strong cheeses for the simple reason that you need a bold flavour to just be able to taste the cheese, and still you need a whole lot of it.  Processed cheese accomplishes itself on a burger two ways: it melts easily and uniformly and has a unique and strong flavour.

I say processed cheese slices have a unique and bold flavour, but it’s more than that: it’s a taste we as North Americans instantly identify with a burger.  Get any fast food burger, diner burger or greasy spoon burger and it’s topped with processed cheese.  You bite into a burger and expect that taste: anything else doesn’t register the same.

To be fair all processed cheese slices are not created equal: for my Southern Ontario palette I enjoy Kraft or Black Diamond slices, and so they emerge as victors in Burger Quest.

Which leads to patty formation and what actually works.  I’ve tried leaving the meat loose and barely forming the patty but that leads to the burger being so loose when you eat it there’s no cohesive mouth feel.  That doesn’t mean go the other way and abuse the meat like you were kneeding dough.  Get your meat, form it into a patty that doesn’t crumble and give it the thumb indent.  With enough fat in the meat and a little pressure the patty will stay together nicely.

I use a gas grill for burgers: for some reason burgers on the Big Green Egg seem dry to me.  Medium to high heat, adding salt and pepper to the top side and then again after the flip.  Don’t press on your meat or all the juices run out: Just like steak a hamburger should be left alone to cook.

Cooking burgers inside requires a cast iron pan, medium high heat and no oil.  Get that pan hot so that a little smoke starts and then get your burgers in there.  Don’t crowd the pan or the sizzling juices will get all over and you won’t get a nice crust on the burger.  I have a Le Creuset 9″ cast iron skillet I picked up at one of their outlet stores: two hamburger patties go in at a time, and once they’re done I put them on a wire rack to cool.  Catching a theme here?  Steaks and hamburgers should be cooked the same way since we want the same results: a nice crust and a juicy center.

I’m going against the burger aficionados here but I like my burgers medium well.  I just can’t each a medium rare burger: I want the crunch of the crust and a good feel from the beef inside and medium rare seems too soft for me.

Let’s start off today with the meat.  A great burger to me is 100% beef: we don’t need to add pork, veal or bacon to the mix.  The beef should be about 75% meat and 25% fat to get a nice juicy burger.  Ground chuck is an excellent choice; my other is a fatty brisket.  I’ve read of sirloin and shortribs but that’s getting too pricy for this humble meal.

Seasonings: salt and pepper, no other need apply.  Yes, I’ve tried mixing a ton of different things into my burger.  Add an egg to make it wet and bind it, then add breadcrumbs to dry it out.  Here’s an idea: leave it alone!  Salt and pepper added to each side as it’s cooked it all you need.  Eating a burger is about tasting the meat and toppings, each of which I like to keep separate.  If you need to add something, try grated onion, minced garlic or adobo, but only add one thing at a time.  Get a taste for the item and decide if it needs one more thing.  Tossing everything into the bowl with the beef already has a name: meatloaf.

Last but not least: grind your own meat.  I have a KitchenAid stand mixer with the meat grinder attachment and it does an excellent job.  It comes with two different sizes of grinder plates and the smaller is perfect for ground beef.  The only way to know exactly what goes into your ground beef is to do it yourself.