In my family the women are the great cooks, but the men are not far behind, specially on the grill. Since they know they can't compete with us in the kitchen, the grill is their domain. What they don't know is that behind their backs we do a pretty good job there too, we just don't let them know it!
My brother is now one of my best fans. I understand from my sister in law he reads my blog every night when he gets home from work. Two nights ago, while we were on the phone talking about something else, he suddenly volunteered his newest hamburger recipe, a stroke of genius indeed. I made some for us last night and they were so good I even forgot to add the cheese.
One of the most important things about a hamburger is obviously the type of meat. Some people think sirloin is the best meat to use; others swear by ground chuck... neither is right. The best meat is a combination of sirloin and chuck. The flavor of sirloin together with the fat from the chuck renders the perfect hamburger. Salt and pepper and a little Worcestershire sauce is all you need and for cheese fans, some cheddar. Make a small indentation with your thumb in the middle after shaping to help it cook evenly and whatever you do, do not flatten with a spatula when grilling. I cringe when I see people do that. The meat should be room temperature before it goes on the fire but do not let it sit out once blood comes out. Oil or spray the grill and wait until the coals are very hot before you add the patties. Wrap a piece of bacon over the hamburger and throw it on the grill. This is his secret! You can remove it later, add it to the bun, feed it to the dog or just gulp it down while no one is watching! For medium rare, I cook mine 5 minutes on each side covered, For medium, I would add another minute on each side. Flip just once!
My brother likes to split an English muffin add some olive oil and grill it while hamburger is cooking. I love the French hamburger rolls from Publix which are light and airy. The rest is up to you...for me, a slice of tomato, onion, catsup and lettuce is it, although horseradish mustard is divine!
hamburgers are the perfect grill food -- the charcoal flavor gets INTO the meat! But they are also the hardest grill food -- perfection is not simple with a hamburger! Next time we will try the bacon trick -- would give some lovely flavor methinks.
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