Talk about 1 month gap lol. I was really busy. 40 if not more job interview, WoW expension came out and now i'm updating kitchen xD... Lets put 1 out today anyway...
Making a good burger is an art. But 2 main ingredients are bun and meat. When it comes to bun i NEVER go with ''classic'' sesame bun which is high in fat and sugars. I prefer Potato or whole grain buns. Why... well potato buns don't intake insane amount of moisture so if your ingredients are watery based it wont go soggy AF. kinda same applies to whole grain although it will intake more moisture then potato. Also both are healthy alternative with potato actually stepping up in flavor - it boosts it to another level !
Then for meat you can choose any i guess. But you can never go wrong with beef...even if its undercooked (rare/medium) getting sick isn't really a big concern compared to pork or god help us chicken.
So lets go with beef. Forget about aged beef and better cuts/steaks is 1st thing (too pricey with medium impact on flavor). Meat should have at least 20% of fat mixed in it and best for that is shoulder, ground chuck is basically best for budget/taste ratio. You can play with custom blends as well where i would advise getting some know how before you try, then do try&error with %... cuts for this would be short rib, brisket, sirloin with combination of bacon.
Its also important your meat is twice grind and FRESH (unless you go for aged meat ofc but $$$ jumps a lot ^^)
Its also good to know which toppings go best with which meat and what combination of toppings to use. I mean there's a reason why when burger with tenderloin usually has mustard with seeds/onion jam, rocket/egg and chicken burger almost always has a spread of mayo or yogurt based dressing. Overall it also comes down to your preference so just go for whatever you like.
Basic Hamburger kcal: ~650/burger
Ingredients:
- 1 Bun
- 150g Beef
- veggies (mine has red onion, tomato & iceberg salad)
- cheddar cheese
- mayo&ketchup
- oil
- tsp of unsalted butter
- salt & pepper
- mineral water (optional)
- tsb of butter (optional)
i did say its ''basic'' so yea basic ingredients.
Lets get veggies out of our way...Wash them and cut them into slices. Its good to cut them thinly so when you're eating you feel and taste multiple layers.
When shaping the patty make it about 1cm bigger in width then bun, mainly due to shrinking of patty during the grilling. Also don't forget to make a small hole in middle, because burger will rise up. IF you're going with better cuts like sirloin etc, add tbs or 2 of mineral water and mix it well into the patty.
Now very important part... like with steaks same with beef patties... season the patty on EVERY side it doesn't have to be heavily seasoned < Think of toppings you'll add, a lot have salt in it > but you must season it all around.
Take a grill pan or even better cast iron skillet and heat it up. When its nice and hot start grilling your patty. Do decide if you want your burger rare, medium, well done or in between those.
Some temperatures and times. Do remember this varies by thickness and meat type and pan type. Also i recommend if meat isn't freshly grind that you make it well done. Supermarket meats aren't the best and you don't want to get sick
Rare: internal temp 50°C, 3 minutes per side
Medium rare: Internal temp 55-57°C, 4 minutes per side
Medium: Internal temp 62°C, 5 minutes per side
Medium well: internal temp 66°C, 6 minutes per side
Well done: Internal temp 70+°C, 7+ minutes per side
When the patty is nice and brown (not burn), flip it over. Add a bit of butter and let it cook to the end. At the end put cheese on the patty, add a sip of water into the pan and cover it with lid for about 15-25s.
Put patty aside and let it rest for a minute or two, just enough of time to deal with our bun. Slice it in half and spread the rest of butter on it. Place it in the pan you used to cook the patty and brown it. This wont need much time, so check from time to time, you don't want it burned.
All you got to do now is assemble it and eat it.
