Best Hamburger Recipe

Hamburgers, an essential ingredient for an All American summer (or if you live in Southern California, just another weekend). There is something irresistible about a burger that even the most devout advocate of haute cuisine cannot deny. Good friends grilling and drinking in the backyard and a little friendly competition.

Gourmet Hamburger Contest

A colleague of mine recently hosted his first ever ‘Build-A-Better-Burger’ Contest, and as you can imagine there were a myriad of extravagant hamburgers served. Each was designed to tantalize the taste buds of the competition. As with any competition (especially those where walking away with the pride of knowing you have conquered is the only prize) everyone brought their A-game.

Check out the list of delicious and gluttonous entries:

The host, Sean, not to be shown up on his own turf started things out with his 2650 calorie Cordon Bleu Burger consisting of patties stuffed with French country ham, havarti & Swiss cheeses, caramelized onions , sautéed mushrooms and homemade dijonnaise served on a butter grilled baguette. Ed, the sushi chef of the bunch, made an Asian-influenced burger with “Japanese pink mayo”. You know, the whipped up mayonnaise with Sriracha that is commonly served on sushi rolls. Another contestant served the ‘Killer California BLT burger’ with applewood smoked bacon and every San Diegan’s choice fat, the avocado. I heard that Bruce’s ‘Blueberry Bleu’ cheeseburger was nothing short of a work of art.

I am not sure as to which burger took the prize, but I have zero doubt that every burger recipe was something to brag about. I only regret I was there to witness it! Oh, did I forget to mention I wasn’t present. Why you ask? It was, what I can only assume, a calculated last minute invitation made with the intention of eliminating competition (and a day after Thanksgiving I might add). Well, probably not. Here is the thing though; anyone can make a decadent hamburger that weighs in at a whopping 2000+ calories . But for my money and my taste buds, the classic hamburger more than does the trick.

Simple as it seems a good plain hamburger is hard to come by now-a-days. Most of your basic hamburger recipes consist of grilled patties served with various condiments like ketchup, mustard, lettuce, relish and other toppings like cheese inside a sliced bun. I mean how hard can it be? What can possibly go wrong? Plenty I say even if you avoid a quick ride to those beloved golden arches. We all need to master the art of hamburgers but we have to start with a solid foundation. I encourage you to build a signature burger of your own. After all, who hasn’t been fascinated with owning a bar that boasts the “best burgers in town”? But I assure you; to master the art of decadence you will need a classic hamburger recipe as that foundation.

Hamburger Patty Recipe

1 ½ pounds ground beef (80 percent lean) - this is the perfect balance of fat
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Cooking Hamburger

1. Spread the meat over a large surface like a plate or a glass pan sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Gently toss the meat with your hands to incorporate the seasonings. Do not overmix.

3. Divide the meat in to 4 portions and pat into 1-inch-thick patties, making a ¼ inch indentation in the center of each.

4. Rub each burger with a dab of vegetable oil.

5. Grill the burgers covered, indentation side up until seared well on the first side. This should take no more than 3 minutes. Whatever you do, don’t press on the burgers while they are on the grill! This will release all of the juices and the result will undoubtedly be a dry and crumbly.

6. Flip the burgers and continue to grill the other side until they reach your desired doneness. Again, don’t press on those burgers! Take a sip of your beer if you must do something.

7. Transfer the burgers to a plate and let them rest under a foil tent for 5 minutes. This step is necessary to lock in those juices.

8. I like my burger served on a toasted bun with a little mayo and ketchup. If the burger is cooked right, then I really don’t need anything else. Not even cheese - I guess you can day I like to taste the beef.

goes well with :

Caramelize Onions
Guacamole