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| Suicide Burger with Komoda Sauce |
Anyway.......
It doesn't happen often but I get the urge to do burgers. I can respect Bubba Burgers and other frozen patties for what they are but they are nothing compared to a burger so good, it can only be called The Suicide Burger. Fresh chopped, dripping with beefy, juicy goodness, its not for the faint of heart or those watching their caloric intake.
My friend told me about someone she knew that made burgers by chopping fresh steaks of various types in a food processor.until reaching the desired consistency. I tried it and it was phenomenal...the first time. After that I just couldn't get the consistency right and ended up over doing it. The end result was dry and without any redeeming values, so I decided to do this the old fashioned way
Suicide Burgers
1-2 lbs Chuck Eye Steak
1 medium to large shallot
2 Tbsp butter
1 very sharp meat cleaver
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Finely dice the shallot and and saute in 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of salt over low heat. This may looks like alot of butter when you first get it going but it will add juicy, buttery goodness to the burgers later. Let this work while you move on to the meat.
Start with trimming the fat off completely. You're going to put it back in later so set it off to the side. Cut the lean meat into strips, and then cut those strips into thinner strips, then again if you can and if your cleaver is sharp enough. Do the same with the trimmed fat only leave the pieces a tad larger than the meat. Now mix it all together in a pile on your cutting board and chop. No nancy tapping, take a few dozen hearty swings at the pile of meat and chop it until it just begins to look like burger but with larger pieces and a heavier consistency.
The shallots should be done and just barely caramelized around the edges. Allow these to cool to room temperature and than add directly to the meat. Mix well but make sure you don't squeeze or crush the burger too much and do not over handle. Fat melts very easily and the absolute death of a good burger, good meat or not, is over handling. The heat from your hands melts the fat and forces it out of the burger leaving it dry and simply average. This is countered by the additional butter from the shallots but still, don't overwork your meat. Yeah I know what I said. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to rest and tighten up a bit. After about 30 minutes or so, form into 1 inch thick patties that match the size of your bun and get ready to season.
That's it. Simple, right? Now comes the point where you season the burger and there are three things seared meat deserves: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder. Although I keep good meat limited to these three seasonings, you may add what suits your tastes, however, good beef will rarely need anymore than this and being that I'm a bit of a beef purist, that's all mine get. Now, these can go on the grill but this is one case where I prefer the frying pan and since a frying pan opens up a few options, I would use either bacon grease or clarified butter as the grease of choice. In most cases, its the former instead of the latter. To shorten and simplify: Hot pan, sear on both sides, turn the heat down to finish to your desired level of done. Please, eliminate the term "Well Done" from your vocabulary when you do these burgers. They are to good to be killed. One thing I do like to do is use a steel bowl to help steam the burgers to done and to melt the cheese as well. I am a HUGE Bleu Cheese fan and it takes a bit more heat to melt it on the burgers. For this, the bowl is essential.
Komodo Sauce
Fusion is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. It describes taking a style of cooking and altering the ingredients to come up with something new. Although this is a fancy culinary term to describe the latest and greatest, I will now lower the term to everyday use. There are two great burger toppings that have been around for years and it turns out a fusion of the two is the arrow through the heart of those that put ketchup on their burger. Our story begins at Bill Thomas Halo Burger. A small, Northern burger chain that has one stand out from all other burger chains: Olive Mayo. There are few things that can compare to a 1/2 pound Supreme with Olive Mayo. For the second half of the sauce, we have to go down South and take up a classic sandwich condiment which has been referred to as Tiger Sauce. It is simply Mayo and Horseradish and has been a sandwich fixin' for years and rightfully so. Now, lets put these two classics together, and you get.......
Komodo Sauce
1 cup Good Quality Mayo
1/2 cup Chopped Green Olives w/ Pimento
2-3 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
1 Tbsp Course Black Pepper
Juice of Half a Lemon
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Hot Sauce
Mix the above together and let sit for at least a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to come together, and that's it. Use at will and, from experience, the more the better and with the Bleu Cheese.....Yeah..........
Oh, one more thing: If there were ever a meal that goes with a good red wine, this is it.
Enjoy,
Rob
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