Posts Tagged ‘burgers’
Saturday, August 28th, 2010
Posted by johngl
Going out and having a burger is a national pastime. 
According to Eric Schlosser, in his book Fast Food Nation, Americans eat 13 billion burgers a year. Based on a US population of about 307 million (US Census Bureau, July 2009), that is about 42 burgers per year for each and every one of us. Luckily, I probably eat about half of that unless I am burgering my way to Labor Day (as I was doing about this time last year). At least those were home made.
BFD. Get on with it man!
And so it came to pass that within a two week period, I had the same type of burger at two highly rated burger joints. In the left corner, weighing in at 650 stores across the country and originating in Virginia, Five Guys. In the right corner, weighing in at a mighty three stores and originating in Texas, Mighty Fine.
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Tags: burgers, reviews
Posted in Austin, TX, Restaurants, reviews | 8 Comments »
Monday, May 24th, 2010
Posted by johngl
While those ribs featured in the previous post were taking in a long, hot bath, I needed to cook off some hunks of chuck we had in the fridge. I wasn’t cooking these for immediate consumption; these were for a weeknight dinner.
We had these for dinner the following Monday (tonight in fact) and they were enjoyed immensely by both the most glorious spousal unit and the most glorious mother-in-law, so I must have done something right.
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Tags: brats, burgers, chicken
Posted in Meat, Techniques | 1 Comment »
Sunday, September 6th, 2009
Posted by johngl
Labor Day is upon us! Time to wrap up this Burger Quest.
You might wonder: Why would anyone in their right mind grind a duck into burger meat?
Well, I like duck and I think duck is under-appreciated in this part of the world. Why not burgers? We burger everything else! Is it really such a stretch? I’ve roasted it, confit’d it, grilled it, and made stock out of it. I hadn’t yet tried burgering it (spell check is trying to turn “burgering” into “buggering” which would give that last statement a whole new meaning).
So when Brittany (aka: Stems) suggested that for my finale, I should do “duck burgers and fries cooked in duck fat” it took about 10 seconds before I said: “OK! You’ve got something there.”
I hereby introduce to the world: The Maple Leaf Farms Duck Burger!
What do you mean it looks just like a hamburger? Of course it does, that is the whole point.
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Tags: burgers, duck, potato
Posted in Air, Meat, Recipes: Eats, Roots, Techniques, veggies, wine | 6 Comments »
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Posted by johngl
Back on the 4th of July holiday, when my good friend BigDMcC and I participated in our very own paella fest, he brought over a type of pepper seasoning I had never experienced before: Piment d’Espelette
. That seasoning just did wonders with the pork he used in his paella.
Since we are still on our burger crusade, I thought, why not?
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Tags: burgers, chile peppers, ham, pork
Posted in Land, Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques | 9 Comments »
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Posted by johngl
Back in the Burger Your Way To Labor Day post, I mentioned something about the possibility of throwing a fish burger into the mix. Well, the wait is over and here it is:
Yep, this is a salmon burger. For all of you folks who no longer eat pigs, cows, deer, buffalo, chickens, or antelope, we now have the food for you. Sit down with your favorite grizzly bear and have a party!
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Tags: burgers, fish, salmon
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques, Water | 4 Comments »
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Posted by johngl
I had such great success with the sirloin & chuck burger, which created a great meaty taste along with a good texture and flavorful juices (that were helped along by a bit of butter), I thought I would go ahead and see if the addition of tri-tip added or detracted from the flavor and texture.
It’s all just a great experiment anyway, right? What did I have to lose?
Sirloin, Chuck, and Tri-Tip Burger with Pommes Souffle
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Tags: burgers, meat, potato
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Roots, Techniques, veggies | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Posted by johngl
The other day a friend of mine told me about a new burger joint in town called, of all things, Elevation Burger. He said the meat tasted like cardboard.
They are taking commercialism to new heights whilst jumping on the organic free-range bandwagon. If you click on the “burgers” graphic below, you can read the the Vertigo Burger that can be stacked three to ten patties high. Oh, come on.
I stacked seven of my patties — that’s 42 ounces of pure beef — just to see what it might look like.
Where that silly “elevation” thing came from I’ll never know. Those ad-men should be flogged.
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Tags: beef, burgers, meat
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Posted by johngl
According to legend (with support from McDonald’s Hamburger University), the world’s first burger was served in Athens, Texas during the late 1880′s. It then traveled to the 1904 World’s Fair held in St. Louis. During the Fair, it became known as the “hamburger”. The locals dubbed it so as a derisive jab at those of Teutonic heritage who were known to eat raw ground beef by the handful. I don’t think the folks from Hamburg were insulted.
I can only assume that those first burgers were made from off-cuts of meat from the local butcher. I don’t think anyone cared about fat content or cholesterol in those days nor would they be obsessed with finding the just right proportions for the perfect patty.
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Tags: burgers, wine
Posted in Meat, wine | 8 Comments »
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Posted by johngl
Burgers, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
Your buns can reach, while tasting outta sight
To the ends of chewing and ideal last bite!
Please forgive my corruption of Sonnet 43 (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese, 1850) but I just can’t help myself.
Sirloin, Chuck, and Brisket Burger with Hand Cut Burbank Russet Fries
How could anyone (‘cept maybe a Vegan) resist this oozing buttery burger with melty sharp cheddar and home made fries?
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Tags: burgers, meat, potato
Posted in Meat, Roots, Techniques, veggies | 1 Comment »
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
Posted by johngl
Everywhere you look these days, burgers are garnering attention. The August issue of Texas Monthly posted the top 50 burgers in Texas. Both Bon Appétit and Food & Wine featured turkey burgers in their August issues. Gourmet featured this “ultimate” burger back in June:
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Tags: burgers
Posted in Techniques | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Posted by johngl
I first did a butter burger post back in September of last year. It was not only time to revisit it, but with my new favorite blend of burger spices, I wondered if it could get any better.
Eight ounces of pure choice beef petite tenderloin
It did.
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Tags: burgers, butter, meat, tenderloin
Posted in Meat, Recipes: Eats, Techniques | 6 Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Posted by johngl
It’s been a while since I’ve done some burgers out on the grill and I wanted to test out my latest spice blend. I’m quite pleased with the results.
Fresh Ground Chuck Cheeseburger on a Ciabatta Roll
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Tags: burgers
Posted in Meat, Techniques | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Posted by johngl
I like hamburgers. I mean, I really like them. When I was a kid (back when dirt was first forming in central Iowa), while all the other youngsters were yearning for those ultra-thin fast food 25 pennies a pop things from the golden arches supper club, my parents forced me to eat ground beef that my dad made up from all the steak trimmings at the butcher shop where he toiled in freezing cold temperatures to feed and clothe his offspring. Those burgers were at least a half-inch thick, juicy and flavorful, with a chewy crust. It was truly awful.
They looked a lot like this:
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Tags: burgers, meat
Posted in Land, Meat, Techniques | 3 Comments »
