My Burgers: Round 1

                So it is not just about finding burgers of delight and disappointment in the world around me.  It is about finding my own balance of wonder and delight in these selections of beef sandwich.  This is about the ones I made for Memorial Day (observed) 2019.   One of the truisms I have a difficult time refuting is that ‘the taste is in the fat’.  80/20 chuck has been referred to in a couple places as the best beef for a good hamburger.

                80/20 is the meat to fat ratio.  This kind of meat is 1/5 fat.  Put down ten dimes for a dollar and remove two for the fat-if the burger was a dollar…  So here’s a question, what sounds better to you?

“This ground beef is 20% fat.”  OR

“This ground beef is 80% meat.”?

                An interesting work-around to this is the claim that the grilling process will burn or melt off the fat.  If you have ever enjoyed a good grill top fire, you know there is truth to that.  I even have the sweet spot on my grill where it seems to be just a little hotter and the flames really flare up.

                Irrespective, 80/20 was not going to do it for me this Memorial Day weekend.  I went with 90/10.  What cut of meat was it?  Whatever Wegmans was putting out.  Lesson in mindfulness for the next time, figuring out what cut of beef I am getting. 

                A cool trick to keep burgers from turning into oblong meatballs on the grill is to essentially turn them into donuts.  When you form the patty, thin out the middle before putting the meat on the grill.  I have read an “oh, that’s cool” explanation for why it works, which would be good fodder for a future post (when I find it again).

                So the ground beef is 10% fat.  The packs tend to run from 1.15 to 1.25 lbs, so four patties per pack and it is more impressive than a quarter pound pre-cook weight.  The main flavoring for these burgers was the Grill Mates Applewood Rub by McCormick’s.  And, being me, I did not rub it into the meat but added it to the beef before creating the patties.  That and garlic/salt from a grinder and some garlic powder formed the ‘spice pallet’. 

                If anyone has followed these ramblings this far, the comment, “Hey moron, that was a RUB you MIXED into the ground beef for the burgers” is a fair observation.  To which I reply that is it probably good that I am focusing on mindfulness in my food blog.

                At the conclusion of all of this, I think the burgers were pretty tasty.  The applewood provided a sweetness to them that was not unpleasant, but probably not my favorite.  I think I need to try this once more, if for no other reason than to rub on the rub. 

                These were in fact, cheeseburgers, with deli American, tomato, and a little romaine lettuce (not a big lettuce fan on burgers). 

                All in all, I will remember these burgers (in large part because I am being mindful about them in this blog post).  The applewood rub was good-probably even better if I used it right.  And at least I did not make these burgers like I was making mini-meatloaves (which is another post).