The Best Burgers
I hesitated quite a bit before including this recipe. It’s more of a process than a recipe, a way to simplify something that can get fussy and complicated. It can also easily veer in the other direction and burger night becomes cooking frozen pre-formed burger patties that are like hockey pucks with no flavor. This little work flow saved burger night fot me. It sounds dramatic and maybe it is a little, but when burgers are a staple summer dinner for your family we want to make it as simple AND delicious as possible.
Ingredients:
about 1/4 pound of meat per burger (we often cook 3 pounds at a time and reheat them for lunch over the week)
good salt
fresh pepper
garlic powder
for serving:
good sourdough buns, sweet pickles, grainy mustard, and whatever else you love!
Directions:
Remember, this is a process not a recipe so here is my step by step. First, I line a baking sheet with parchment to rest the uncooked burgers on and carry them to the grill. This means no dishes. I open the package of ground beef in a way that allows the meat to still rest on the packaging. I used to weigh each burger to make sure it was even, now I use this strategy. If I have a pound of ground beef, I cut the hunk of ground beef in half. Then I cut it in half again. Easy peasy, now I have 4 roughly equal 1/4 pound sections. I use my hands to roll a section into a rough ball after smooshing (yes, that’s a technical term) it between my hands a few times. Place the ball on the baking sheet and press with your palm until you have about 1/2 inch thickness. Press the edges together. Move on to the next section of meat. When you’re done, sprinkle a generous amount salt on each burger, flip over. Sprinkle with salt, adding the garlic powder and pepper to this side. Preheat your grill and let the meat come to room temp a bit. Grill each burger about 5-6 minutes per side and you’ve got a perfect burger. Enjoy with a delicious bun, mustard, and pickles! Oh wait, that’s MY perfect burger!
