The 20 Burgers of Summer: Chris Kimball

A basic burger that is anything but. Chris Kimball delivers an old-fashioned burger with Wow!

Chris Kimball's old-fashioned burger with classic sauce is seen in this May 2, 2010 photo. Using coarsely ground sirloin steak and boneless beef short ribs makes this burger a winner. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe) (Credit: Larry Crowe)

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, Food

When you’re dealing with the king of persnickety cooking, you expect a little hassle for your food. You also expect big-time payoff.

The good news? Christopher Kimball, the man behind the pleasantly obsessive-compulsive wing of the food world — Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines — delivers on both counts. In fact, for a burger as good as Kimball offered up for the AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer series, I’d suffer twice the hassle.

No pre-ground beef is harmed in the making of these burgers. Kimball starts with sirloin steak tips and boneless beef short ribs, which are chilled until firm in the freezer, then coarsely ground in a food processor. This produces burgers that are tender, meaty and incredibly moist.

Hands down, they are the best hamburger I have ever eaten. Ever.

“This style of burger is nothing like most modern burgers,” Kimball says. “It is rich, thin, craggy, crusty, salty and comes with an incredible sauce. Instead of a softball of meat, you are getting a modest layer of intensely flavored beef and a classic roadhouse burger sauce.”

True to form, you earn that goodness with a fussy method for making it. The meat is barely handled, and never gets packed into a patty. The process is more of a gentle shaping of the chopped meat, which is on a tray, not in your hands.

The raw burgers (and the cooked ones, for that matter) are delicate, so it’s important to follow Kimball’s method carefully. And he adds that the cooked burgers don’t hold well. So if you’re doubling the recipe, cook the burgers in batches and serve them immediately before frying the next batch.

Old-Fashioned Burgers with Classic Sauce
Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 ounces sirloin steak tips , cut into 1-inch chunks
6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
4 soft hamburger buns
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese
Thinly sliced onion

To prepare the classic sauce, in a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, sugar, vinegar and black pepper. Set aside.
To prepare the burgers, place the steak and rib chunks on a baking sheet in a single layer, leaving 1/2 inch of space around each chunk. Freeze the meat until very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, 15 to 25 minutes.
Place half of the meat in a food processor and pulse until it is coarsely ground, 10 to 15 quick pulses, stopping and redistributing the meat around bowl as necessary to ensure the beef is evenly ground. Transfer the meat to the baking sheet, overturning the bowl and without directly touching meat. Repeat grinding with remaining meat.
Spread the meat over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.
Gently separate the ground meat into 4 equal mounds. Without picking up the meat, use your fingers to gently shape each mound into a loose patty 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter, leaving the edges and surface ragged. Season the top of each patty with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, flip the patties and season the other side. Refrigerate.
In a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter until foaming. Add the bun tops, cut-side down, and toast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and bun bottoms. Set buns aside and wipe out the skillet with paper towels.
Return the skillet to high heat. Add the oil and heat until just smoking. Using a spatula, transfer the burgers to the skillet and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers over and cook for 1 minute. Top each patty with a slice of cheese and continue to cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute longer.
Transfer the patties to the bun bottoms and top with onion. Spread 2 teaspoons of burger sauce on each bun top. Cover burgers and serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 611 calories; 379 calories from fat; 42 g fat (17 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 98 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1096 mg sodium.

: More J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor

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Owner of Daisy May's in New York gives us what we need: salt, fat, cheese and caramelized onions. Hallelujah

By J.m. Hirsch

Adam Perry Lang's griddled and grilled Monterey Jack cheeseburger with spicy chipotle caramelized onions and cilantro.

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, Food

When crafting a great burger, check the weather.

So goes the advice of Adam Perry Lang, owner of New York’s Daisy May’s BBQ USA restaurant, a classic rib shack known for its whole pig, pulled pork and beef ribs.

“Sometimes I love a burger that is rich in fat — 70-30 blend of protein to fat,” he said in an email. “I like these on colder days when I need fat and heartiness. In the summertime, a leaner burger is appreciated. 90-10 can do the trick.”

Whatever your blend, cook with care. He aims to create a moist, tender interior and a well-developed caramelized crust. He also favours a liberal amount of salt.

“I am a burger fanatic,” he said. “My most memorable has to be the one I would get when I was eight years old spending our summers on the beach in Montauk. This was in front of Gurneys Inn. They called it the Gurney Burger and it was served on an English muffin. I have had others, but that was a burger memory.”

For the AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer series, Perry Lang offered up a basic burger — nearly a half-pounder — topped with caramelized onions spiked with chipotle chilies and Monterey Jack cheese.

GRIDDLED AND GRILLED MONTEREY JACK CHEESE BURGERS WITH SPICY CHIPOTLE CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND CILANTRO

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds ground beef (80 per cent lean)
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
6 small to medium sweet white onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo
4 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons flat-leaf fresh parsley leaves
6 slices Monterey Jack cheese
6 hamburger buns

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the beef and water. Shape into 6 patties, about 2.5 cm thick.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Use the blend to season the burgers, pressing it into the meat.
Heat a grill to medium-high.
Set a griddle pan on the grill and add half of the butter or oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions, season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and saute until the onions soften and start to brown. Add the pureed chipotle, scallions and cilantro.
Push the onions to one side of the griddle. Heat the remaining butter or oil on the empty side and place the hamburgers on it. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
Move the burgers to the grill and cook to desired doneness, flipping halfway through (2 minutes per side for medium-rare).
Stir the parsley into the onions and spoon the onions onto the hamburgers. Lay a slice of cheese on top of each and continue cooking until it melts.
Place a burger in each bun and serve.

: More J.m. Hirsch

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Figs? Ham? Host of "Viva Daisy" on the Food Network introduces salty and sweet to your hamburguesa

By J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor

The Barcelona burger is seen in this July 2, 2010 photo. Contrasting flavors that all balance out is the aim of this burger from chef Daisy Martinez. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe) (Credit: AP)

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, Food television, Food

For Daisy Martinez, a great burger does a bit of tug-of-war in your mouth.

“I always like to put together flavors that complement as well as contrast each other. This concept is especially important when creating a burger because you should experience that ‘kapow factor’ with each and every bite,” she said in an e-mail.

So for her contribution to AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer series, Martinez sought a balance of salty and sweet, which she satisfied by pairing grilled fresh figs with serrano ham.

“It was a short leap then to add the piquancy of a Cabrales blue (cheese), which complements the beef component of the burger,” she said. “Can you say ‘party on my plate’?”

Martinez is a big believer in big flavor in her burgers, and over the years says she has enjoyed many variations, including ones made from Kobe beef and seafood, even veggie varieties. But in the end, her blueprint for a great burger goes back to her childhood.

“Some of my fondest hamburger memories involve making homemade patties with my dad when I was little. He would season them with salt, fresh ground pepper and onion powder, then we would grill them over charcoal briquettes in our backyard, and the result was a slightly charred burger on the outside that was pink and juicy on the inside,” she said.

For the topping, it was beefsteak tomatoes and lettuce fresh from her mother’s garden, as well as her “salsa golf” (a mayo-ketchup blend).

“That was a little bit of heaven, right there on our plate,” she said. “Nothing compares to the burgers of my youth, made with love by Mom and Dad.”

BARCELONA BURGER

Start to Finish: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

1 pound ground beef

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large Spanish onions, halved and thinly sliced

4 fresh figs, halved

4 large hamburger buns

1/4 pound Cabrales or other blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 pound serrano ham, thinly sliced (prosciutto also can be used)

Form the beef into 4 equal patties, then season each with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise with the lemon zest. Set aside.

In a large skillet over high, add the water, olive oil and onions. Cook until the water is completely evaporated, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and completely caramelized. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Heat a grill to medium-high. Coat the grates with cooking spray.

Place the beef patties on the grill, cover and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Season the figs with pepper, then place on the grill cut-side up. Place the buns on the grill cut-side up, as well. Sprinkle the bottom halves of the buns with the blue cheese. Cover the grill and cook for 1 minute.

To assemble, place each beef patty on a bun half with the melted cheese. Top with 2 slices of ham, 2 grilled fig halves and a dollop of the caramelized onions. Spread the remaining toasted bun halves with lemon mayonnaise, then top the burger.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 658 calories; 333 calories from fat; 37 g fat (11 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 104 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 39 g protein; 3 g fiber; 1,381 mg sodium.

: More J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor

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AP puts its token vox populi writer to the ultimate foodie test, and he brings the hot, hot heat

By Ted Anthony

Ted Anthony's Old Chengdu Snack Burgers

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, International cuisine, Food

Unlike the other pushers of AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer, I’m no celebrity. I’m just a guy who happens to work with AP’s food editor, and who has spent much of the past decade pushing carnivorousness upon Said Food Editor and taking unfair credit for his rejection of vegetarianism.

In short: In this crowd of gastronomic hauties, I’m the token vox populi. I’m the man on the street they always interview after someone important comes to town, only with hamburgers.

That said, I’ve also had the good fortune to both grow up in what Said Food Editor calls “mayonnaise America” and spend chunks of my life, including part of my childhood, in China, appreciating the tapestry of food there and missing it desperately when I’m home.

Then one day, Said Food Editor came to me and barked, “Make me a burger. Make me remember it.” And it dawned on me: Why not take the best peppery, pungent, garlicky tastes of the street stalls of Sichuan (that’s how we obnoxious China hands spell “Szechwan,” the province where blunt-force cooking reigns) and transplant them into the American backyard burger?

Here’s my attempt — “Old Chengdu Snack Burgers.” Purists might grouse, “Well, there’s pork in it, so it’s not a burger.” With pork being the national meat of China, to them I say only this: “Huanyingnidaoquanqiuhua, pengyou.” (Welcome to globalization, buddy.)

OLD CHENGDU SNACK BURGERS

These burgers pack punch. You’ll need a moderately high tolerance of heat to appreciate them. It’s also a good idea to cook them outside on the grill (as the recipe directs); the fumes from the peppercorns and chilies can be intense. If you mix the meat and seasonings by hand, consider wearing rubber gloves. The spicy ingredients can leave your hands tingling.

Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
2 pounds ground chuck, 80 percent lean
5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
15 to 20 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
3 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns, coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle
5 tablespoons of chive-infused oil, or 4 tablespoons of peanut oil
5 ounces Sichuan black-bean chili paste
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
6 to 8 fresh chilies (such as serrano, cayenne or Thai), finely chopped
2 packages 7-grain Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats (16 flatbreads total)
3 ounces bok choy or Napa cabbage, shredded
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced into thin rounds
Sriracha sauce, to taste

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, ground chuck, ginger, garlic, wine, peppercorns, oil, chili paste and soy sauce. Add half of the chopped peppers. Mix vigorously until all ingredients are well incorporated. If using your hands to mix, wear rubber gloves.
Portion the mixture into balls that are slightly larger than ping-pong balls (about 2 ounces each).
On a greased pan or a sheet of waxed paper, press each ball into a very thin but loosely packed patty.
Heat a grill to high. Set a cast-iron skillet over the grill.
Toast the flatbreads on the grill until slightly browned and crispy. Set aside.
When the pan is hot, coat it with cooking spray. Grill the burgers in the pan until the edges start to crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Place one patty on the bottom of a flatbread, add some of the bok choy, then place another burger on top. Top each with some of the remaining peppers, leeks and Sriracha, to taste. Top with the other half of the flatbread.

: More Ted Anthony

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Proponent of ecologically-sound cooking puts the "hip" in hippie and makes a meal devoid of sprouts or tofu

By J.m. Hirsch

Michel Nischan's eco burger

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, Food

For Michel Nischan, building a better burger is part of making the world a better place.

“I have seen all kinds of outlandish burger ideas, from making burgers with vegetables, fish, shrimp, you name it,” said Nischan, whose cookbook, “Sustainably Delicious,” and Westport, Conn., restaurant Dressing Room focus on ecologically sound eating.

“Yet as great and creative as these burgers can be (and fun), nothing beats a burger made with the meat that burgers were meant to be made with — grass-fed and grass-finished beef,” Nischan said in an e-mail.

The greatness of a burger depends almost entirely on the quality of the meat. And because cattle were intended to eat only grass, he says the best burgers come from those who ate only that. Once he has his beef, he still likes to dress it up a bit.

“Once cooked to your liking, pairing this meat with cheese and butter from grass-fed dairy cattle adds a depth of additional richness that takes the burger closer to the promised land,” he said. “And of course, what would a good sustainable burger be without the deep, tomato-y sweetness of locally grown, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes?”

Which is to say, if you want to taste Nischan’s ultimate eco burger, you’ll need to shop close to home, searching out local sources for the very best ingredients. It also means that every burger will be different, the tastes influenced by the variations in the land and animals that produced the ingredients.

“Let’s bring back Main Street America by cooking a good sustainable burger,” he said. “The immediate reward is flavor. The ultimate reward is a better world!”

THE ULTIMATE ECO-BURGER

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pound grass-fed, grass-finished ground beef
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter from grass-fed dairy cows, divided
4 free-range eggs
4 slices cheddar cheese
8 slices whole-grain bread or 4 whole-grain rolls
2 medium heirloom tomatoes (2 varieties if possible)
8 slices cooked bacon
4 leaves lettuce

Directions

Heat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal or wood grill, banking the coals to one side.
Divide the beef into quarters and form into patties. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Place 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan and coat the bottom. Crack the eggs individually into the pan and cook sunny side up. Remove from the pan and set aside.
When the grill is heated, cook the burgers for 4 minutes on the first side. Flip the burgers and top each with 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining butter, then top each with a slice of the cheese. Continue cooking to desired doneness.
When the burgers are done, transfer them to a warm plate and let rest for 3 minutes. Toast the bread or buns on the grill until slightly browned and crispy.
To assemble the burgers, arrange a slice of each tomato on the bottom of each bun, followed by the burger, 2 slices of bacon, a leaf of lettuce, an egg and the top of the bun.

: More J.m. Hirsch

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French haute cuisine superstar from four-star Le Bernardin draws inspiration from ... fatty fast food? Mon dieu!

By J.M. HIRSCH AP Food Editor

French chef Eric Ripert's Westend bistro burger is seen in this June 7, 2010 photo. Ripert looked to some successful fast food burger joints for some inspiration when creating his Westend bistro burger. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe) (Credit: AP)

Topics:20 Burgers of Summer, Ethics of eating, Food

When Eric Ripert set out to make the perfect burger, he found his inspiration in an unlikely place.

“It may sound crazy coming from a French chef, but the inspiration behind this burger is actually McDonald’s and Burger King,” said Ripert, the man behind New York’s award-winning Le Bernardin restaurant and Westend Bistro in Washington.

For Ripert, a great burger must be perfectly proportioned, a trait he thinks the fast-food giants have aced.

“All the elements are carefully controlled,” he said via email. “The way they cut the pickles, the way they cut the tomatoes, the way they slice the salad, and the size, obviously make those burgers perfect.”