9/20/12

Juicy Pub-Style Burgers - Cooks Illustrated

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JUI CY PUB- ST Y LE BURGERS

Published May 1, 2011. From Cook's Illustrated.

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To create a recipe for juicy , pub-sty le burgers with big, beefy flav or, we knew that grinding our own beef was a m ust. We chose sirloin steak tips for their suprem ely beefy flav or and lack of gristly sinew, and we upped their richness by addin...( m ore )

SERVES 4
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Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. When stirring the butter and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat or the burgers will become dense.
IN GR E D IE N T S
2 pounds sirloin ste ak tips, trim m e d of e x ce ss fat and cut into 1/2-inch chunk s (se e note ) 4 table spoons unsalte d butte r, m e lte d and coole d slightly Table salt and ground black pe ppe r 1 te aspoon ve ge table oil 4 ham burge r buns, toaste d and butte re d

Pub-Style Burgers
Hand-ground beef gave us deep flavor, but getting a crusty exterior plus a juicy interior that was evenly rosy from center to edge required a couple more tricks.

IN S T R UCT ION S

1 . Place beef chunks on baking sheet in single lay er. Freeze m eat until v ery firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, about 3 5 m inutes. 2 . Place one-quarter of m eat in food processor and pulse until finely ground into /1 6 -inch pieces, about 3 5 one-second pulses, stopping and redistributing m eat around bowl as necessary to ensure beef is ev enly ground. Transfer m eat to second baking sheet. Repeat grinding with rem aining 3 batches of m eat. Spread m eat ov er sheet and inspect carefully , discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard m eat or fat. 3 . Adjust ov en rack to m iddle position and heat ov en to 3 00 degrees. Drizzle m elted butter ov er ground m eat and add 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently toss with fork to com bine. Div ide m eat into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten into patties 3 /4 inch thick and about 4 inches in diam eter. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook. (Patties can be refrigerated, cov ered, for up to 1 day .) 4 . Season 1 side of patties liberally with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Heat oil in 1 2 -inch skillet ov er high heat until just sm oking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to skillet and cook without m ov ing for 2 m inutes. Using spatula, flip burgers and cook for 2 m inutes longer. Transfer patties to rim m ed baking sheet and bake until instant-read therm om eter inserted into burger registers 1 2 5 degrees for m edium -rare or 1 3 0 degrees for m edium , 3 to 6 m inutes. 5. Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 m inutes. Transfer to buns, add desired toppings, and serv e.
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T E CH N IQUE

Juicy Pub-Style Burgers - Cooks Illustrated

Pub-Style Burge r Sauce Serve With C re am y C ole slaw C lassic Fre nch Frie s

THICK, JUICY, PERFECTLY COOKED BURGERS

1. FREEZE AND GRIND

Ste ak Frie s Equipment Reviews Me at Grinde rs How to Cook Dim pling Ham burge rs

Chilling the beef chunks until firm and then processing them into 1 /1 6 -inch pieces ensures a coarse grind that stay s loosely packed.

2. ADD BUTTER

Coating the raw ground beef with m elted butter not only ensures that the burgers cook up super-juicy , but also encourages flav orful browning.

3. SEAR, THEN BAKE

Searing on the stov e and then finishing in a low-heat ov en trades the usual ov ercooked exterior for a well-browned crust and juicy center.

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