Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2009

Make a Better Burger

Start with quality ground chuck, make a uniform patty, salt and pepper it, and flip it just once

Don't let the fast-food chains hold a monopoly on America's hamburger culture. A great burger is worth slowing down for.

For celebrity chef Bobby Flay, who has a new book on the subject and recently opened Bobby's Burger Palaces in several locations, making the perfect burger involves treating "each component with the thought and respect it deserves."

That means making wise choices on the type of ground beef, patty-making technique, cooking method, and bread and topping selections.

Start with the beef. Most chefs agree that ground chuck, usually labeled as 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat, is the way to go.

That's because fat equals flavor and moistness. Going with anything leaner will produce a dry and tasteless burger.

Flay recommends purchasing the meat from shops where it is ground fresh daily. Stay away from pre-packaged or pre-formed patties, which Flay says can be inconsistent in freshness, texture and flavor.

When it comes to shaping the burger, Flay calls for a fairly flat, uniform patty no more than ¾-inch thick. Try not to overwork the meat or pack the patty too tight or your burgers may come out tough or dry.

Flay takes the extra step of making a deep thumbprint in the center of each burger. This helps keep the burger from swelling into a football-like shape while cooking.

For seasoning, Flay sprinkles the outside with kosher salt and ground black pepper, sometimes a spice rub, too. But he never mixes into the meat any spices, condiments, onions, garlic or fillers, such as bread crumbs. Do that, and you've got meatloaf, he says.

A great burger can be cooked in a cast iron skillet or under the broiler, but a grill lends an unsurpassed smoky flavor to the beef.

Real lump charcoal burns the hottest and longest, and adds the best flavor, but if you are using briquettes, make sure they are a high quality and made of hardwoods.

A gas grill is more convenient, especially when cooking just a few burgers. You can boost the smokiness with a few water-soaked hardwood chips wrapped in a foil pouch (poke some holes in it) placed directly on the flames. Wait until it is smoking, then cook.

Flay says that the perfect burger should be a contrast in textures, which means a tender, juicy interior and a crusty, slightly charred exterior. This is achieved by cooking the meat directly over very hot heat, rather than the indirect method preferred for slow barbecues.

He also advises flipping the burgers only once in order to give the heat a chance to form a good crust on the outside.

And as tempting as it is, says Flay, don't press down on the burgers with your spatula; it not only squeezes out the flavorful juices, but also can cause dangerous flare-ups.

To keep burgers from sticking, oil your grill grates with oil-soaked paper towels.

A good, sturdy spatula with a thin edge is essential for getting under the burger and easily separating it from the grill grates.

Federal guidelines suggest cooking hamburgers to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees (medium-well) for complete safety. If you want to risk (and many do) a burger that's more on the pink side, be sure to get the freshest possible meat.