Burgers

Burgers are pretty easy to make from scratch. Some people like to get fancy or complicated with their burgers, but in my opinion, simpler is better.

Ingredients

• Ground chuck
  • Chuck has more connective tissue than other cuts, which will melt and add flavor to the meat as it's cooked.
  • Some recipes call for mixing a lot of things into the meat to add flavor, but I don't think this is necessary. I like to let the flavor of the meat stand out by itself.
• Montreal steak seasoning, or seasoned salt
• Hamburger buns
  • I personally prefer Kaiser rolls, since they're sturdier and can hold up to a larger burger.
• Sliced cheese of your choice. Suggestions:
  • American
  • Swiss
  • Cheddar
  • Provolone
• Fixings of your choice. Suggestions:
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Sauteed onions
  • Sauteed mushrooms
  • Bacon
  • Ketchup and mustard
  • Thousand Island dressing (the basis for most restaurant burger sauces)

Directions

1. If you have any fixings that you'd like to cook first, such as bacon or sauteed vegetables, prep those first and set aside.
2. Melt 1 tbsp butter per bun in a pan on medium-low heat. Once melted, place the buns face down in the butter, move around slightly to absorb the butter, and toast until golden brown. Move the buns around in the pan occasionally so they toast evenly.
3. Form the ground chuck into patties however large you like. Using your thumbs, push an indentation into the center of the patties about 1/2 inch deep.
   • The indentation will help the patties keep their shape. When the meat cooks it expands in the middle, so if you start with a flat patty, you'll end up with an oval shape after cooking. The indentation helps the patty remain flat after it's cooked.
   • Tip: wash your hands with cold water before working with the ground meat. This will reduce the amount of fat that'll melt onto your hands, so it can remain and flavor the meat.
4. Season the patties generously with Montreal steak seasoning or seasoned salt.
   • When you cook the hamburgers on a hot surface, you'll lose half of the seasoning onto the cooking surface itself, so you'll want to season more generously than you'll actually want the end result to be.
5. Cook patties until your desired doneness.
   • I usually use an indoor contact grill since it can cook both sides of the burger simultaneously. If you don't have one, you can also just cook it in a pan and flip the burger every ~1 minute to cook evenly.
   • I usually cook the burger by feel. You can poke the center of the burger to check its doneness. A general rule of thumb is to match the texture of the burger to the following: poke the tip of your chin for rare / medium rare, the tip of your nose for medium, and the center of your forehead for medium well / well done.
6. Take the patties off the grill, and let them rest for 5 minutes. Put cheese slices on top of the burgers while they're resting so the cheese can melt slightly.
7. Put your patties on the buns and add your fixings.