How to Make the Best, Tastiest, Juiciest Homemade Burger in the USA
During my 30 years as a chef across the United States, one of the things I have always been looking for is a great burger. I haven’t had one in over 10 years and that was at an old friend’s house, and he’s a farmer. I was giving it my all at home, (JC) when all of a sudden he told me that he had a taste for a hamburger, but he didn’t eat at any of the restaurants around because he couldn’t trust the cooks and their cleaning habits to prepare the food, which is another article in the making. He decided to do some cooking and just wanted me to watch and guide me through his process, which I gladly agreed to do.
Now my friend JC who is 60 years old is a great home cook and also a renaissance man. He knows a lot of things here in Mississippi. He lives on a few acres where he has cows, chickens and a pond with bass, bream and catfish and usually has a small garden every year with corn, tomatoes, okra and other southern staples. He passionately practices self-sufficiency. He is a man of great humor, and in fact, if he had met James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” I would have wanted him to be like JC, who is the “Godfather of Black Life” here in Central Mississippi. JC loves James Brown’s music and even at his age he still imitates his dances when he hears some of his music. He is the hardest working man I know and a true industrious hustler in the highest respects. He is pitch black and has a heart of gold.
JC comes from a large family and almost all of them live in the same neighborhood (the street he lives on bears his last name) and people are always looking for him for one reason or another, so I always love it when he spends time with him. to talk about food, my favorite subject. That’s how one day out of the blue he decided to share with me his way of making a juicy burger, and I listened in tunnel vision as he shared this recipe with me.
Let me be clear about this recipe. You can forget about buying the pre-ground veal or chop at the supermarket. High-end meats are not necessary. Best to have a meat grinder or ask the butcher to grind it while you wait. Buns should be 4-5 inches in diameter, not those little ones. The iceburg lettuce should be ice cold (double rinse and leave it in ice water for no more than 5 minutes then pat dry before putting it on the burger) and the tomatoes should preferably be organic steak and ice. Use only sweet onions, such as Vidalia, Maui, Texas Sweet, or red onion, that have been thinly sliced and kept cold because you want heat to meet cold in this recipe. Use whole kosher dill and chop it yourself if you want pickles. You should use “Come Back Sauce” (forget mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, it gets mixed into the final design anyway) for the dressing and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper should be sprinkled on after cooking the meat. If you cook on the grill, use wood smoke to enhance the flavor or if you cook inside, try
using a cast iron skillet (medium heat is fine), this is how we food purists in Mississippi do it. Forget about those Teflon-coated pans or any other nifty cookware. Get yourself some cast iron cookware if you don’t have any. By the way, each burger must be divided into 8 oz. loose patties.
This recipe is for 4 people. I have a golden recipe for the best home fries and shakes, but I’ll have to give it to you later.
The best homemade burger in the US
1 pound each: beef ribs and beef brisket. (remove the meat from the bone of the beef ribs and remove the layer of what I call tendon, from the back of the ribs) then cut into small oblong pieces to fit in the meat grinder chute so as not to clog it above. Take a routine course.
4 tablespoons of peanut oil, or olive oil or clarified butter or any oil of your choice.
Frozen Iceburg Lettuce Leaves
Fresh 4″-5″ burger buns or authentic French bread from New Orleans or sourdough from San Francisco (my favorite)
Comeback Sauce… buy it here… or get the recipe here.
Sliced Kosher Dill Pickles
Thinly sliced cold sweet onions… 32 degrees is considered cold for anything that is supposed to be cold.
Cold Beefsteak Tomatoes, rinsed and sliced. I prefer “Organic” fresh on all vegetables here when available.
Addresses:
1. After meat is ground, add oil and form into thin, loose patties about 5 1/2 inches in diameter. Poke a hole in the middle of the patty to decrease shrinkage. I like to use a burger maker myself.
2. Place on grill or skillet and begin cooking, but DO NOT TURN THE DUMPS UNTIL ONCE after 3-4 minutes. They will be done once you flip them when the juices run clear if they cook well. Cook at least medium.
3. Lightly butter the buns and lightly toast the side that the patties are facing. This seals the bun.
4. Assemble burgers with your choice of seasonings, but add Special Come Back Sauce and enjoy. Look how simple it was… Enjoy!
Please note: You can use as many cuts of the cow as you like. Just make sure the fat is at least 10% and no more than 15%.