Burgers

Its really easy to make a bad hamburger.

I've finally perfected a really good one. Its much easier than you'd think.

Step One: Don't buy ground beef. Instead get a couple in expensive steaks and grind them at home. This is the only important step in the whole process. I like a pound of chuck for fat and texture and a pound of sirloin for flavor. If you have a meat grinder use it. Otherwise the food processor does a great job. I actually prefer the slight imperfection you get from using a food processor. Cut the meat in to 1 inch cubes and pulse 8 - 10 times. Careful not to overdue it.

Step Two: Add salt and pepper and a little cooking oil. You can also throw in some minced garlic and onion at this point if you want to. Form in to 5-6 ounce patties.

Step Three: Cook it inside. I'm a big fan of the grill but in this case a skillet or cast iron pan gives you a better result. This increases the surface area that comes in direct contact and you get the caramelized exterior you want. I just tried the Steak and Shake technique of placing a ball of ground beef on the skillet and smashing it down with a press and it turned out great. This is probably how I'll do it from now on.

Step Four: After 4 minutes per side on a medium high skillet you're done. Pull the burgers off and let them sit for a few minutes.

Dress them however you like. Here are two combinations I'm quite fond of...

Bacon and Horseradish Sauce: Make a dressing of mayonnaise, sour cream and horseradish and add a couple strips of peppered bacon
The Harbor Burger: This is a burger that is on almost every menu in the Harbor Country of southwest lower Michigan. Its simply mayo and sliced green olives. I don't know the origin but it works really well.

Thanks to Alton Brown, Emeril Lagasse and probably a few others that I've observed over the years.