Fletcher Davis isn’t a name most Americans recognize. But if the scenario outlined in James McNair’s “Build a Better Burger” (Ten Speed) is correct, they should.
Davis, who owned a small lunch counter in Athens, Texas, signed on as a vendor at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. His best selling sandwich, a ground beef patty served between two slices of warm bread spread with mayonnaise and mustard, garnered raves, just as it had done in Texas. Ground beef patties were already called “hamburg steaks,” in deference to their German roots, and Davis’ sandwich was eventually dubbed a “hamburger.”
In 1916, J. Walter Anderson, a Wichita, Kansas-based entrepreneur, flattened the patty, developed a one-piece bun, and launched the fast-food chain that would eventually become “White Castle.” Twenty years later, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first self-service drive-in. Franchisee Ray Kroc bought the brothers out in 1961 for $2.7 million and then went public in 1965. Hamburgers, for better or worse, were well on their way to becoming the nation’s most popular sandwich, a staple served for both lunch and dinner.
“Hamburgers” gradually morphed into “burgers,” a term that was once reserved for patties made with ingredients (lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, veggies, tofu…) other than beef. There’s considerable leeway when it comes to the kind of bread or bun used to make the sandwich. But if you eliminate the bread altogether, the beef patty is simply a “chopped steak.” Top it with brown gravy, and it’s a “Salisbury steak.”
For a juicy beef burger, the ground beef should have a fat content of 15-20%. The flavor depends on the cut and quality of the beef. Burgers made with a mix of chuck, round steak, and sirloin will have a different flavor than burgers made entirely with chuck.
Ground beef isn’t a good keeper. It should be purchased and then used or frozen the same day it’s ground. In “The Great Big Burger Book” (Harvard Common Press), authors Jane Murphy and Liz Yeh Singh explain that the risk of salmonella is greater with ground meat than it is with a solid cut because surface bacteria is dispersed when the patties are formed.
The safest way to thaw ground beef is in the refrigerator. Leaving the meat out on the counter, either overnight or during the day, is a very bad idea. I know people do it all the time without suffering ill effects, but it’s akin to playing Russian roulette with salmonella. Eventually, you lose.
Like a lot of other people, I like the flavor of hamburgers cooked on a charcoal-fueled grill. Charcoal briquettes, as it turns out, have an interesting history. Some sources cite Henry Ford as the inventor, some credit Ford working in tandem with Thomas Edison, and some say the technology preceded Ford’s interest in the product. Debate aside, wooden components were required for a lot of Ford’s cars. Using the scrap wood to make charcoal briquettes made good business sense, and Ford was never averse to increasing profits. Ford Charcoal Briquettes was sold to a group of investors in 1951, who changed the name to Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes.
Adding aromatic wood chips if you’re using a gas grill will enhance the flavor of the burgers. The chips have to be soaked in water for at least an hour before they’re used, so plan accordingly. Burgers can, of course, be cooked indoors, and in fact , I’ve read articles written by reliable sources who recommend sautéing the patties in a skillet, preferably one made of cast-iron.
Simplicity may be the way to go when it comes to the beef burger itself, but toppings are another story altogether. Grilled or sautéed onions and/or mushrooms, cheese, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, guacamole…the possibilities are almost endless. So while the burger itself is typically seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper, the sandwich- as a whole- can include a symphony of tastes and textures.
A Relatively Basic Burger
6 servings
8 thick slices (about 6 ounces) bacon
1 1/2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill rack
6 hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Shape ground beef into 6 patties, each about 1/2-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Start the grill. Plan on cooking the hamburgers over a hot fire (if you’re using charcoal) or a high temperature (if you’re using a gas grill).
Shortly before you’re ready to grill the hamburgers, pan fry the bacon on medium heat until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Break each slice in half.
Oil the grill rack, and place it four to five inches above the heat source.
Grill the hamburgers to the desired stage of doneness.
Place the hamburgers on the bottoms of the toasted buns. Top with bacon, guacamole, and the top of the bun.
Chunky Guacamole Salsa
2 ripe avocados
2 large (about 6 ounces) ripe plum tomatoes
1 3-inch long jalapeño pepper, minced
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Halve, seed and peel avocados, then cut into 1/2-inch dice. Set the pits aside. Place the diced avocado in a medium non-reactive bowl.
Halve the tomatoes, seed them, and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place the tomatoes-along with the minced jalapeño-in the same bowl as the avocado.
In a second bowl, mix together the lime juice, shallots, cilantro, cumin and salt. Whisk in the oil.
Pour the mixture over the avocados and tomatoes. Mix gently to avoid mashing the avocado.
If the salsa isn’t going to be served immediately, put the pits in the guacamole, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. The guacamole can be left at room temperature for an hour or stored in the refrigerator for as long as four hours. Leaving th pits in the guacamole may not prevent browning, but it certainly won’t cause it.
Adapted from “The Big Book of Backyard Cooking” (Chronicle Books, $19.95) by Betty Rosbottom