The Burger

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

The Chef took out a piece of Filet Mignon, ran it through the meat grinder and slapped it on the grill and said "Any Questions?".

That actually sounds like a terrible idea, Filet Mignon is very low fat and I would think would make for a very dry unpleasant burger.

I also think "gourmet hamburger" is an oxymoron.

Silly human beings can't leave a good thing alone, burgers are supposed to be a cheap meal, made from low cuts of meats, eaten outdoors, cooked on a grill, with a minimum of condiments.

Why in my day you could get three burgers for a nickel!

Now get off my lawn you darn whipper snappers!

[rusnak]

I like Vash's idea of mixing rib meat with a tougher meat. I'll try rib steak and Tri-tip.

I do not like burgers that are more like meatloaf (a bunch of crap mixed into the meat). Just salt, pepper and that's it.

[James Brown]

i tried this the other day after seeing it on tv, pressed 80/20 ground beef into poached egg cups and steamed and smothered them in cheese, surprisingly tasty and moist, need a bigger vessel. And served minimalist: just a bun, cheese, meat, s&p.

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

That actually sounds like a terrible idea, Filet Mignon is very low fat and I would think would make for a very dry unpleasant burger.

I also think "gourmet hamburger" is an oxymoron.

Silly human beings can't leave a good thing alone, burgers are supposed to be a cheap meal, made from low cuts of meats, eaten outdoors, cooked on a grill, with a minimum of condiments.

Why in my day you could get three burgers for a nickel!

Now get off my lawn you darn whipper snappers!

Making burgers on the grill today, so naturally opened this thread.

First off, todays burger 'meat' is not cheap and you have no clue where it came from. Almost every store bought is a mix from multiple meat processing plants.

We buy sirloin and grind our own. It's actually cheaper too! Do like the marbled fat. Have done many varieties as well from adding raw egg in the ground, diced onions to jalapeńos. I'll take a pass on the bacon but others we like are crab meat, avocados, garlic and a variety of cheese.

Don't forget a killer toasted onion bun.

[rusnak]

The reason people put crap like flour, onion soup mix, eggs, etc in their hamburger meat is because its no good. Just buy a cheapo meat grinder from Harbor Freight. Grind fresh cuts of meat like chuck, rib, NY, etc. I tried rib steak and Tri-tip last night. Delicious! The patties are formed with a patty mould, loosely packed. Salt and pepper on both sides.

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by rusnak

The reason people put crap like flour, onion soup mix, eggs, etc in their hamburger meat is because its no good. Just buy a cheapo meat grinder from Harbor Freight. Grind fresh cuts of meat like chuck, rib, NY, etc. I tried rib steak and Tri-tip last night. Delicious! The patties are formed with a patty mould, loosely packed. Salt and pepper on both sides.

Now that's some crappy burger..... LOL. Metal shavings and cast slag from your HF grinder.

[rusnak]

Haha!

[Jim Bremner]

This is the best burger joint that I have ever been to. Unami is no where as good. The Counter is 2 steps below. Eureka Restaurants - Home. Sad thing is that I was going to invest in them on the 2nd place and didn't

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

That actually sounds like a terrible idea, Filet Mignon is very low fat and I would think would make for a very dry unpleasant burger.

I also think "gourmet hamburger" is an oxymoron.

Silly human beings can't leave a good thing alone, burgers are supposed to be a cheap meal, made from low cuts of meats, eaten outdoors, cooked on a grill, with a minimum of condiments.

Why in my day you could get three burgers for a nickel!

Now get off my lawn you darn whipper snappers!

I think the key to a filet burger would be rare, rare and more rare. I can imagine a ceremonial sear to each side and then straight onto the bun.

[Baz]

[Racerbvd]

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

I think the key to a filet burger would be rare, rare and more rare. I can imagine a ceremonial sear to each side and then straight onto the bun.

Sounds like an evening percolating some butt coffee.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Have put some more thought into the burger. Considering:

Texas toast, grlddled with butter
thick burger, medium rare
red wine reduction caramelize onions
brisket, fatty, sliced, then chopped, but no sauce

and cheese. Not sure what kind of cheese though. and maybe some acid.

[fingpilot]

Back to the OP.

Was the burger place in Manhattan Matt's Grill?

Best burger east of the Mississippi.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

Have put some more thought into the burger. Considering:

Texas toast, grlddled with butter
thick burger, medium rare
red wine reduction caramelize onions
brisket, fatty, sliced, then chopped, but no sauce

and cheese. Not sure what kind of cheese though. and maybe some acid.

psychedelic burger!!!

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by rusnak

I remember Islands back in the day in Irvine. That company is totally messed up, but somehow they make a good burger.

Try the BBQ bacon Whopper at Burger King. Try mayo on your fries. Surprisingly very good.

There's an islands restaurant on Tustin in Orange just north of Chapman.

I used to get the big wave with cheese.
But one day a couple years ago i stopped in there with my daughter. She didn't want a big burger so we split an order of sliders (4).
Now that's my go to order. The sliders are better than the big burgers IMO.


Their fish tacos aren't bad either. Not great, but not bad.

They serve a house IPA but it has too strong of an after-taste, gets stronger the more you drink it so I usually just get domestic.

[sammyg2]

BTW, the jack-in-the-box ultimate cheeseburger aint bad, it's definately in my top 10 all time.

[imcarthur]

Homemade burgers are a different experience that a good restaurant burger.

Next time you are in Denver, make the trek to the Cherry Cricket. An irritating college bar crowd & they card everybody, but their burgers (70/30 beef) are simply the best. I will be there in 3 weeks. Next week, along with my hamburger gourmand colleague, I will be sampling Blend in Paris. It is supposed to be amazing.

Ian

[rwest]

Happened upon an article in the paper just before I was going to be grilling some burgers and they had interviewed several top burger cooks who all agreed that grilling is not the way to go, you lose all the flavor from the juices just burning away. So I put an old frying pan on my grill, cooked for five minutes per side (thanks internet!) and dang, very good burger. One other point they made was you want to use a 80/20 meat, don't go too lean.

One of the best burgers I've had is here in MN at a place called Pinstripes; not super fancy, but classy. They don't flaunt the burgers, just have one or two listed along with many other dishes, but dang, they're delicious. Also bring fresh bread and a killer pesto to the table while you're waiting.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

MMMMM ... grease.

Last time I was at a Tommy's, the quality had really gone downhill.. They used to be awesome in a artery-clogging kind of way.