Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [62]
TIMING
Prep: 5 minutes
Grill: 7 minutes
GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Long-handled spatula
BURGER GUIDELINES
• Wet your hands with cold water when mixing the meat and when forming burgers. It will keep the meat from sticking to your hands.
• If using ground beef that is more than 85 percent lean, brush the surface of your burgers with oil before grilling to keep them from sticking and to help them brown.
• How well done you like burgers is not just a matter of taste. While roasts, chops, and steaks can be cooked to rare without raising food safety fears, burgers cannot. It is simply not safe to eat burgers cooked to less than 150°F. (For a full discussion of meat safety, see page 42.) At that temperature, a burger will be very slightly pink in the center and will feel springy to the touch. For a precise temperature reading, insert an instant-read thermometer through the side of a burger into its center.
• The best garnishes are classic: a slice of ripe beefsteak tomato, a mound of sautéed onions, a leaf of romaine lettuce, a dollop of coleslaw, or a few slices of dill pickle.
• Try substituting kaiser rolls (or another crusty round roll) for hamburger rolls.
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THE GRILL
Gas:
Direct heat, medium-high (425° to 450°F)
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Direct heat, light ash
12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)
Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting
Wood:
Direct heat, light ash
12-by-12-inch bed, 3 to 4 inches deep
Clean, oiled grate set 2 inches above the fire
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 6 SERVINGS)
2 pounds ground beef chuck, 85% lean
5 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 teaspoon ketchup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Oil for coating grill grate
12 slices good-quality American, provolone, or Cheddar cheese (optional)
6 hamburger buns, split
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the grill as directed.
2. Using your hands, mix the beef, water, ketchup, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well blended; do not overmix. Using a light touch, form into 6 patties no more than 1 inch thick. Refrigerate the burgers until the grill is ready.
3. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the burgers on the grill, cover, and cook for 7 minutes, flipping after about 4 minutes, for medium-done (150°F, slightly pink). Add a minute per side for well-done (160°F).
4. If you are making cheeseburgers, put 2 slices of cheese on each burger 1 minute before the burgers are going to be done.
5. To toast the buns, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking.
6. If serving the burgers directly from the grill, serve on the buns. If the burgers will sit, even for a few minutes, keep the buns and burgers separate until just before eating.
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Steakhouse Burgers
Steak sauce, that classic amalgam of Worcestershire, mustard, and tamarind, has the power to transubstantiate a humble burger to steakhouse eminence. In this recipe, the sauce not only flavors the meat, it also adds moisture and helps to increase the perception of juiciness even when the burger is cooked to well-done.
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TIMING
Prep: 5 minutes
Grill: 7 minutes
GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Long-handled spatula
GETTING CREATIVE
• Because these burgers have so much flavor, it is best to keep your garnishes simple: a slice of ripe beefsteak tomato, a mound of sautéed onions, a leaf of romaine lettuce, a dollop of coleslaw, or a few slices of dill pickle.
• If you want to add cheese, make it something assertive: an imported Swiss, some crumbled blue, or a smear of Brie would work well.
• Substitute about ¾ cup chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia) for the scallions.
THE GRILL
Gas:
Direct heat, medium-high (425° to 450°F)
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Direct heat, light ash
12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)
Clean, oiled grate on lowest