Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋
For some reason unbeknownst to me, people often think I am a vegetarian. When they ask, I respond, “I’m not. I’m anemic.” I considered vegetarianism briefly once, but the doctor and my mother sternly pointed to my low iron levels and nipped that phase right in the bud. Oh well. I’m not sure what it is about me that exudes Veggie Queen vibes... I support the move though. I take a lot of days where I eat lacto-ovo (flailing in the face of my lactose intolerance) or pescatarian. I am not a huge red meat-eater, although that is just as much because I don't have a grill and I can't ball out on steak casually. Nope, I am not a vegetarian. I am pretty content with that because, when I do eat red meat, there’s nothing I love more than a fat, juicy cheeseburger. I know where to find the best in town too: right off my Dad’s grill. In a way, it’s a shame, because I am kind of spoiled when it comes to the quality of burgers I accept, but it is also very, very delicious.
There are rules when it comes to making a good burger:
First off, you want your ground beef to be 80% chuck, 20% lean meat for the best flavor ratio.
Second, you gotta season the meat. Get creative, trust your instincts, and spice it up. A1 sauce? Coriander? Oregano? Worcestershire sauce? All in. Any herb, spice, or steak sauce in addition to the salt and pepper standard is a fair try, depending on your mood.
Third, grill it just right, so the outside has those nice grill lines, seared over and glossy with juice, and the inside is still pink. Medium-rare is the way to go if you want a good-tasting burger. No hockey pucks allowed.
Fourth, add the cheese when the burger is just at the end of grilling. It melts oh so lusciously.
Fifth - and I cannot stress this enough - after years of searching for the perfect bun, we found the answer in brioche. It is firm enough to handle the large patty, sturdy so the juice doesn’t dissolve the bread, and doesn’t flake or add too much extra bread. Eating a burger bun for miles before you even hit the beef is no fun, and it fills you up so you don’t event have room for the glorious part.
When it comes to condiments, get creative! I support all. (Except maybe a mound of mayonnaise and nothing else, but that’s just Cos I have a personal issue with mayonnaise. Just don’t tell me and it’ll be fine.)
My go to is a Caprese burger, with mozzarella cheese oozing onto the burger, topped with a slice of tomato and slivers of avocado, bun dressed with pesto. This time I diverged from the path ever so slightly and added Dijon mustard too. It went great with the pesto and spiced the burger up a little bit. As you can see, my Dad cooked the burger just right and the dinner was exploding with goodness left and right.
It was the best way to end Thanksgiving break. Thank you, Dad!
XX,
MK