In my very first post on this blockchain, I expressed the intent to eat cheeseburgers with the proceeds from this investment of time and money. It's my favorite food, with its many variations and tried, true and effective simplicity. A square meal with the opportunity for grains, protein, vegetables, dairy- I digress. Done well, the burger makes a healthy meal and reminds me of my younger days. Let's see if I recreate something I picked up working in the food industry.
The Cheese
I enjoy provolone. Making sliders tonight involved wonderful prep work. 2 ounce patties are plenty filling and lend themselves to a nice sear on high-temp skillets. That was the secret formula this evening.
The Buns
I bet Brioche buns are not everyone's choice, but this evening, their compact size serves well. More nutrition, if the reader so chooses, could come from a whole grain option of bun. Shake Shack serves potato buns, which the lightly butter. It makes a difference!
The Vegetables
Really, anything sandwiched between two pieces of anything counts as a burger. There's chicken burgers, bean burgers, Impossible, nothing- you understand where I'm going with this list, I hope. Today, the classic topics for the classic sandwich includes lettuce, tomato, onion, and via relish, pickles. Back at the Shack, we called the combo "LTOP", for short.
Mutual Beef
The lean ground beef had a $2 price reduction for some reason or another. Apparently, meat sells for less at grocery stores compared to warehouses. So it goes. I heard it told, by those in and out of the business, the perfect ratio is 80 meat to 20% fat. For those conscious about consumption, 85 to 15 worked out smoothly. Ketchup, mayo, mustard- but a secret sauce I recommend if you spot this in stores.
The Hot Iron Skillet
Not necessarily a conventional ingredient, the iron skillet serves the purpose of searing the beef patties. Heat that thing up until you see water evaporate on contact. I won't guess how how it is. But if water evaporates, it's at the boiling point, right?
Cook Time
There's a lot of talk out there about how long to cook a burger. Rightfully so, since it depends on what metal, what surface, grill, charcoal, gasoline- but when I worked in the kitchen, if I remember right, these were the numbers. One minute each side for a rare burger, up to 90 seconds for one well done patty.
Additional Tools
I recommend a plastic patty press to form your own patties from ground beef! You can dictate your portion sizes and get creative with how you serve! 4 oz. patties feels like the restaurant standard, but what's wrong with having two, if the numbers add up? This set up to be 6 oz. of cooked meat each for two people. Hearty stuff.
Optional
A light beer to accompany a meal makes my weekends stand out. Whatever beverage you leverage, be sure to enjoy.
The Secret Ingredient: Kewpie Mayonnaise
We found this at the H-Mart near home last time I returned. I enjoy it with fish sticks, I bet it'd go wild with fried chicken of any kind, and my friends, I do not do you a disservice when I assert it would please the senses to enjoy it on seared beef. A light mayo with a distinct difference from traditional egg based mayonnaise, it's a classic spread unlike anything else.
You Hungry?
Or are you not interested in the meal for other reasons? I won't take offense and will look into your suggestions, so let me know below. I'm also warming up to sweet potato fries, thanks to tonight's dinner.
Thanks for the food.