My recipe for the Perfect Burger, with tips learned from our local butcher.
To me, a burger on the grill is the quintessential sumer food. As much as I love and respect my vegetarian friends, and as much as I try to eat less of it in my diet, I don’t think I could ever stop eating meat completely. And a really good burger is one of the reasons for it. We spent this past Memorial day relaxing around the house with family and friends, grilling and cooking really great food. And this burger was one of those meals we made that, for me, really solidified this past weekend as the beginning of the summer. Perfectly seared on the outside while still slightly rare and super juicy on the inside, this burger just screams summer – with all of the family, good friends, and carefree attitude that comes with it. And along the way I picked up great tips for making the perfect burger that I can’t wait to share with you.
I spent a good chunk of time last summer – not that I’m complaining about it – searching for the best burger in New York City. We went to almost every restaurant that topped any list of the best burger in New York – and there are a lot of lists. Everything from a 5 dollar burger to a 30 dollar burger, we tried it all. And while burgers with all sorts of crazy and interesting toppings are no doubt delicious and super fun to try, it seemed like it came down to one thing that really put certain burgers ahead of others on our list: the blend of beef used to make it. When most people make burgers, they end up buying whatever meat comes pre-formed into patties from the grocery store, or simply “ground beef.” But crafting a really juicy and tasty burger is all about exactly what cut of beef the meat is coming from, and about having the meat freshly ground. You can grind your meat yourself or have your local butcher do for you. We happen to have a really great supermarket in our neighborhood with an actual butcher, and little did we know that one of the guys working there actually used to work for Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors.
Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors is a meat wholesaler that has recently become pretty famous for its special blends of burger patties, as well as the fact that it supplies the beef for some of the most famous and renowned restaurants in the New York City area. You’d probably know them best as the supplier of Shake Shack burger, which has quickly become known as one of the best fast food burgers in the country. For any of you wondering who ultimately won in my search of the best burger in New York City, it was Shake Shack as far as best burger for your buck goes. Minnetta Tavern with its famous Black Label Burger, also created by Pat LaFrieda, wins in my book for overall best burger in the city (I dare you to find someone who doesn’t agree) but when comparing their $28 burger with Shake Shack’s $7 burger, I’d go with Shake Shack almost every time.
The perfect burgers as they grill.
Now that you have a good idea of who Pat LaFrieda is and what they do, you’ll realize how awesome it is that our butcher used to work for them. And while each restaurant that they supply has its own formula of beef for the perfect burger, this was the one that our butcher recommended as his personal favorite: a mix of chuck and brisket, freshly ground of course. And after making these burgers, it may be my favorite too. Check out what I have compiled as my list the of the five tips for crafting the perfect burger, as learned from our local butcher, along with a little bit of help from the internet.
Five Tips for Crafting The Perfect Burger:
1) Freshly Ground Beef: Whether girding it yourself or having the butcher do it for you, freshly grinding the beef gives you the ultimate control over your burger. You can choose exactly which cuts of meat you want to use based off of how you like to cook and eat your burgers. Freshly ground beef can also be cooked to a lower internal temperature than pre-ground beef, so you can cook your burger perfectly rare instead of medium or well-done. Plus, it honestly just tastes way better and fresher.
2) A Mixture of Beef Cuts: Using multiple cuts of beef will bring a great well-rounded flavor to your burger and ensure that your burgers will stay nice and juicy while cooking. Our butcher recommended to us a mixture of 2/3 ground chuck and 1/3 ground brisket. Chuck is a classic choice for burgers because the fat marbling, which gives you a good lean to fat ratio ratio in your burger. Plus, because of its proximity to the rib-eye and short rib cuts, the chuck has a rich and succulent flavor. The brisket, which is normally thought of as a tough cut of beef, is perfect for blending into burgers. That tough, dense fat doesn’t break down and melt away as easily, keeping your burgers perfectly juicy inside even if they get charred on the outside.
3) Don’t Over-mix the Meat: All your burger really needs to be fantastic is a little salt and pepper, but if you choose to mix anything else into the meat be sure to do it gently and do not over-mix the meat or else it will become tough.
4) Salt and Pepper the Patties: Don’t add salt and pepper to the ground meat itself, since salt draws the water out of the meat and will make your burgers springy instead of tender. Instead, liberally salt and pepper once you have formed the patties.
5) Never Press on the Patties: Whether cooking on the grill or in a pan, never use a spatula to press down the the burger patties while they’re cooking. Doing so will squeeze out of the delicious juices from inside the burger. Instead, form your patties slightly larger than your buns since they will shrink while cooking. Also, make a small depression in the center of the burger using your thumb, so that the burgers don’t puff up in the center.
Preparing the charcoal grill – there’s nothing like grilling over charcoal.
My perfect burger is cooked on a charcoal grill, and has a few key ingredients: a soft potato bun with a smear of mayo, melted American cheese, fresh tomato, thinly sliced raw onion, crispy butter lettuce, and creamy avocado. But the great thing about a burger is that you can make it exactly the way you like it! You can cook the burger in a pan or under the broiler instead of on the grill, and you can top it with your favorite toppings or anything you have on hand. There really is no wrong way to top a burger, so don’t let anyone tell you tell you otherwise! And with a blend of beef as juicy as this one, even those who like their burgers well-done will be amazed at the luscious juices that come dripping from this burger. Regardless of how you’re cooking them and what you’re topping them with, follow my five tips for crafting the perfect burger and you’re guaranteed to make a burger that will have all your friends and family licking the juices off their hands at your next cook-out.
- 2 lbs freshly ground chuck
- 1 lb fresh ground brisket
- salt and pepper
- 10 hamburger buns of your choice (I use potato buns)
- Optional toppings (what I used but you can use whatever you want):
- 10 slices American cheese
- 1 medium white onion, sliced thinly
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Ketchup, Mustard, or Mayonnaise for topping
- Gently mix together ground chuck and ground brisket to ensure that they are well combined. Form meat into patties approximately 4 inches in diameter and ¾ of an inch thick. You will end up with about 10 patties, about 5 oz each. Press your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each patty - this is so when the burgers cook, they will not bulge in the center. Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the patty.
- At this point it is up to you how you will cook and serve your burgers. My preferences for the perfect burger are as follows: Preheat your grill - preferably charcoal. Place the burger patties over the high heat part of grill and sear for about two minutes; flip the burgers and sear the other side, another two minutes. Transfer the burgers to the low heat part of the grill and continue cooking to your desired doneness, 1 minute more for medium-rare. Place a slice of American cheese on each burger and cover the grill to allow cheese to melt, 1 minute. Remove burgers from the grill and allow them to rest.
- Toast buns on the grill briefly, about 20 seconds per side.
- Smear bun with either ketchup, mayo, or mustard (or all three). Place burger on bun, followed by lettuce, sliced onion, tomato, and avocado. Have napkins ready for the all juices!
My dad has been cooking food all his life. He is always looking to perfect things and burgers are what he needs to work on. As you said here, it is a good idea not to mix the meat too much or else it won’t be easiest to work with later on.
Wow, I absolutely love your tips for the perfect burger. Truth be told, I could really go for a fantastic burger right now. Maybe I should look for a restaurant near me.