Pub Style Burger

Are you ready for the best burger you have ever eaten?

No, really.  Are. You. Ready?

Stop what you are doing right now and change your Memorial Day BBQ plans.  Whatever you are planning on making, forget it.  It won’t be as good as these burgers.  You want this burger in your stomach.  In fact, you should probably un-invite everyone you planned on having over because you are going to want to keep these burgers all to yourself.

Now, I am sure of you are doubting if this really is the best burger ever.  Well, it is.  If it were legally feasible, I would marry this burger and live out the rest of my days with it.  This literally is the best burger I have ever eaten. Better than any fast food, fancy restaurant, or any other burger that has made entry into my stomach.  The recipe is simple and perfect.  No need to hide the burger under strips of bacon, globs of mac and cheese, or onion rings.  Those are all toppings meant for lesser burgers.  Simple toppings let this burger take the spotlight and shine.

The trick for this burger is grinding your own meat.  Yes, this is more work, but I promise you it is truly worth it.  It doesn’t take long to cut up the short ribs for the burgers, and with a food processor or meat grinder, you can have everything done within an hour at most.  And yes, it is more expensive to buy shortribs, but the total cost of these burgers still runs much lower than most restaurants.  And can you really put a price on true love?

No, you cannot.

PUB STYLE BURGER
Barely Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

For the Pub Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, minced

For the Burger:
2 pounds beef short ribs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil, for coating pan
4 hamburger buns
Thinly sliced onion
Chopped lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

For the Pub Sauce:

Combine mayonnaise, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and scallion in a bowl.  Whisk together until combined.  Chill while preparing burgers.

For the Burgers:

Trim fat from the short ribs.  Cut into 1/2 inch size pieces.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Freeze for 20-25 minutes.

Place 1/4 of the meat mixture in a food processor   Pulse until 1/16 inch size pieces form (this will look like ground beef), about 35-40 pulses.  Remove meat from food processor and repeat with remaining meat.

Place ground beef back on baking sheet.  Pour melted butter over top and mix together with hands.  Mix in pepper and a pinch of salt.  Form the meat into 4 loosely packed, 1/2 inch thick patties.  Chill until ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Heat a griddle over high heat.  Season the burgers with salt on the outer layer.  Grease the pan with about 1 teaspoon of oil (or use nonstick spray).  Sear the burgers for 2 minutes for each side.  Transfer to baking sheet.  Bake for 8-12 minutes, until burgers register 125°F for medium-rare. Remove from oven and let sit at least 5 minutes.*

Build your burger with hamburger buns, pub sauce, lettuce, onion, and tomatoes.  Eat and enjoy.

Makes 4 burgers.

*Another burger consideration is doneness.  I like mine bloody and pink, so Cook’s Illustrated gave a great technique for cooking these to get my perfect doneness by searing and then finishing off in the oven.  If you prefer more well done meat or don’t want to turn on your oven, you can still cook these on the grill on in a hot pan as per normal burger methods.