Great American Burger Book

How to Make Authentic Regional Hamburgers at Home

George Motz

• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781617691829
• eBook ISBN:
  9781613129425
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

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TEXAS

THE SMOKED BURGER

When most people think of smoked meats, brisket, pork ribs, and bacon come to mind. It’s the tougher cuts of meat that get the slow-and-low treatment, simply because cooking at lower temperatures with smoke helps to render fat, add flavor, and break down their muscle fibers. The beef that goes into your burger comes from a part of the cow that needs very little cooking—so good that it can be eaten raw (speak to your butcher before attempting this stunt). So why would you take a good cut of meat and smoke it? For the flavor.

There’s no denying the irresistible quality of smoke when applied to food. There’s something truly primordial about smoking meat that unlocks an ancient instinct in our brains. Most people who know how to cook with smoke would scoff at the idea of a burger being cooked for longer than 5 minutes or by any other method other than over a direct heat source. It’s time to put aside preconceived notions of what should and should not be smoked and go smoke yourself a burger.

The first time I came across a smoked burger was, not surprisingly, in Texas. Good friend and food scribe Robb Walsh told me about a butcher in Houston who was selling a limited number of burgers a day that he was tossing in a Southern Pride electric rotisserie smoker designed to hold racks of ribs. The idea sounded absurd to me, but these guys would sell out of all two hundred burgers by the end of lunch. Robb explained to me that most people were getting the toppings all wrong by asking for a standard lettuce, tomato, onion combination. The key was to ask for barbecue sauce, pickles, and onion. This, of course, turned out to be the right move. The tangy barbecue sauce perfectly complements the deeply infused smoke essence. Barbecue is a place where lettuce does not belong.

I will smoke anything, literally. My menu at the smoker is never limited to brisket alone. Chicken, salmon, and oysters do well in my smoker, even olives are amazing smoked if you have the room (recipe follows, this page). And if you call yourself a competent pit master, it’s only natural that you should find a place in your smoker for a few burger patties.

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THE SMOKED BURGER

MAKES 5 BURGERS

EQUIPMENT

A kettle grill with a built-in lid thermometer and a hinged smoking grate

A bag of hardwood smoking chips (hickory, cherry, etc.), presoaked in water for up to 2 hours

Natural lump charcoal

A charcoal chimney for igniting the charcoal

Long tongs (skip the plastic tips!)

THE BURGER

2 pounds (about 1 kg) fresh-ground 80/20 chuck

Salt, for seasoning

5 soft white buns or potato rolls, toasted (see instructions, this page)

THE TOPPINGS

Dill pickle chips

Homemade BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)

1 or 2 Vidalia or Walla Walla onions, sliced and served raw or sautéed

1 Divide the meat into 5 portions and hand-form each portion into a 6-ounce (170-g) patty that’s ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Place in a covered container and refrigerate.

2 Prepare a smoker in the kettle grill, pushing the hot coals to one side of the grill. Position the hinged grate so you have access to the coals.

3 When the smoker is hot (around 225°F/110°C), salt both sides of the patties just before you place them inside the smoker (if you salt too early your burgers will stiffen).

4 Place the seasoned patties on the side of the grill rack opposite the coals (but not beyond the center of the grilling surface). Add a handful of the wet hickory chips to the hot coals and cover the grill immediately. Close down both the top and bottom vents slightly. Use these vents to control the temperature and limit airflow inside the kettle grill. You’ll want to maintain a temperature near 225°F (110°C). If your smoke is running hotter than this, close the air louvers further to help find the proper temperature. Check the coals and condition of the chips every 15 minutes or so, but resist the temptation to open the grill lid too often—precious smoke will escape. If no smoke is present after 15 minutes, crack the vents, add more soaked wood chips, and put the lid back on.

5 Flip the patties after 25 minutes in the smoker, and smoke for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.

6 Place the smoked patties on toasted buns, and top with pickle chips, sliced or sautéed onion, and barbecue sauce. Serve immediately.

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HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE

Makes enough to top 5 smoked burgers

2 tablespoons canola oil, or other neutral oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup (240 ml) ketchup

½ cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar

¼ cup (60 ml) Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup (50 g) raw sugar or turbinado

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Steen’s pure cane syrup or good-quality molasses

3 tablespoons (45 ml) bottled yellow mustard

1 Heat the oil in a saucepan and then add the garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the garlic has just started to turn golden brown (do not burn).

2 Add the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, sugar, cane syrup, and mustard. Stir to combine, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

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SMOKED OLIVES

Makes as many olives as you have on hand

Every time I set up my Weber to smoke burgers I feel guilty about wasting all of that unused smoke (smoked burgers take only about an hour). I thought of all the things I could smoke after the burgers are off the grill, and then I had an epiphany.

This method for smoking olives is ridiculously easy, especially if your smoker is already cranking. Make a bunch to wow your barbecue guests, or for a snack later on.

EQUIPMENT

A kettle grill set up for smoking (indirect heat with wet wood chips), or a smoker

Aluminum foil

Long tongs (skip the plastic tips!)

INGREDIENTS

A handful of good green olives with pits (Spanish or Colossal)

1 On a clean, flat surface, lay out a double layer ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• CONTENTS
• FOREWORD
• INTRODUCTION
• THE BASICS
• REGIONAL FAVORITES
• TOPPINGS & SAUCES
• SIDES
• POSTSCRIPT: THE BEET BURGER (Brooklyn, New York)
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INDEX OF SEARCHABLE TERMS
• PHOTO CREDITS
• Copyright Page