Hamburger Success!
Hamburger Success
There are six or seven ground meat options, not counting pork, lamb, and veal. Successful meat cookery depends on knowing the nature of the cut. Ground round and ground sirloin come from the round and sirloin primals, respectively. They’re lean and, if cooked to recommended hamburger temperature, will be overcooked and dry. Chuck comes from the chuck primal. It has a bit of connective tissue and contains 30 percent fat. When ground, chuck is exceptional for hamburger making. Hamburger or ground beef is made from leftover meat trimmings. That’s likely to include filet and rib - good stuff! So when buying hamburger or ground beef, it’s likely to be better than buying ground round.
Burger essentials:
*Keep seasonings to a minimum - a little kosher is all you need.
*Don’t make MEGA burgers. A 5 oz. patty works great.
*Make sure your grill is hot before adding the meat in order to get that great crust.
*Don’t apply pressure to burgers when they’re cooking. It only serves to push the juice out of meat. Plus, using a spatula on the raw meat can lead to cross contamination.
*Flip burgers only once!!!
*For a burger that’s medium rare (130 degrees) cook 4 minutes per side. For a burger that’s medium (150 degrees), cook 5 minutes per side. Anything beyond medium…well, let me put it this way: Throw out the burger and eat the tongs!
Good Eats!
Executive Chef John Blair
Ironhorse Country Club
www.ironhorsecountryclub.com
561-624-5550
