National Burger Day!

What is your definition of a perfect burger? I like mine cooked medium rare, with thick slices of cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, and bacon.

Oh, yeah...medium with swiss, mushrooms and bacon. But I'm not dogmatic - any burger is a good burger!

Saw a news story earlier today about someplace that had a bacon, egg & cheese on a glazed donut. OMG - I'd love every minute of it until I woke up in the ER!

[sarcasm_font]I don't really have an opinion on this topic but...[/sarcasm_font] In my limited experience the "best burger" is a very subjective award, everyone likes something a little different. I had a friend that swore the best burgers ever were sliders from White Castle; I guess if you don't know any better then that's the only reference you have to work with.

For me it starts with the burger, best to start off with a pound of 70/30 ground chuck. I like my burgers square and thick so I can get a (slightly more meat) 1:1 ratio of bun to burger. Season the meat with granulated onion and garlic, fresh ground black pepper, a smidge of cayenne pepper, and a touch of salt then thoroughly mix the meat and spices until well combined and formed into two equal sized patties. Wrap the patties and refrigerate overnight. Grill on high heat but to sear the first side and keep a squirt bottle of water handy to know down the grease fires. Burgers should only be turned once IMHO so if you sear the first side and flip when the first side is done to your satisfaction (watch for the puddle of grease rising to the top side of the burger) flip and sear the other side. Hold burger patty in indirect heat until cooked to you satisfaction. once done let rest for five minutes off of heat so the burger won't fall apart when you put it on the bun.

You're gonna need buns and those tiny cheap white bread buns most grocery stores stock just won't do. Seek out some Kaiser rolls or maybe a couple of Chibata rolls. Get rolls that won't disintegrate under the load of meat, grease and condiments but not so much bread that there's more bread than meat.

What else goes on the ultimate burger? There is an order of operations to observe if you want to have an intact burger down to the last couple of bites. Toast the buns on the grill or if you're like me you've cooked up some bacon, buns love a little browning in bacon grease... If you cooked bacon then saute some mushrooms and onions with a little fresh minced garlic. In the meanwhile begin construction, plate the bottom bun and slather with mayo and then mustard. Lettuce next, preferably a Chiffonade of lettuce, add sliced thin slices of tomato, onions (if you're not having the sauteed onions), pickle chips and pickled jalapenos. Why does it matter which item goes on the bottom bun? Use all of the condiments and accoutrements to trap all of the juices from the burger before they soak into the bottom bun so the sandwich stays intact.

Top bun gets the tomato based sauce(s), be it catsup or BBQ sauce, or salsa. Let's not forget the cheese, many prefer the processed cheese food substance but I'd rather have slices of pepperjack, cheddar, and/or Swiss. Sauteed mushrooms and onions lso belong on top of the burger, it helps to contain the mess and keep from dissolving the bun before you've eaten the burger. When one pattie isn't enough then you can stack and repeat on one bun but this is a place where I think one right sized patty to one bun is the right formula.

Wow! I guess I know nothing about making burgers. Quite an art it looks like.

Now you went and did it, Otis. It's only 0600 and I want a burger...

Ashley wrote: Wow! I guess I know nothing about making burgers. Quite an art it looks like.

Wow, that man is a burger gourmet!

I do like to use the 80/20 round over the low fat burger that is popular now.

And while I listed BBQ sauce as my favorite, I also like a cheeseburger with the proper mix of ketchup and mustard.

cydl wrote: Now you went and did it, Otis. It's only 0600 and I want a burger...

Burgers for breakfast, how about the perfect pairing of a cold Pilsner to go with it? Why not!? I suppose it's not really about what time of day it is as much as it's about eating what you want to because we still enjoy the freedoms of being American citizens. Besides, you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning and it's after noon someplace on the planet.