Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Perfect Burger? Part 2

There is always a debate at our house over burgers: Cheese or no cheese? Fried egg on top? Lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise? Additions to the ground beef or simply let it be? Mustard? Pickles? It goes on and on.....
On Memorial Day we continued our quest for the perfect burger with this combination: Plain beef burgers on the grill, Hot Pepper Monterrey Jack cheese melted over them, topped with a Chipotle Ranch Mayo, lettuce and tomato. Here's how I made the mayo:

Chipotle Ranch Mayo
3 T. light Dukes Mayonnaise
1 heaping T. light sour cream
2 T. Ranch Dressing
2 chipotles plus a T. of juice from a can of "Chipotles en Adobo"
Finely chop up the peppers and add to the other ingredients. Let it sit for about an hour to meld the flavors. Can be done ahead and stored for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
Lean ground beef burger with Monterey Jack cheese and chipotle mayo, lettuce and tomato
Perfect?
For those who are not familiar with Chipotles en Adobo, they are a canned item, found in the Hispanic foods section of every grocery store near me, so I bet they are easy to find where you are! Chipotles en Adobo are simply smoked jalapeno peppers packed with a smokey, onion-y type relish on them. The remaining peppers and sauce can be frozen for another use. They are good in chili, scrambled eggs, salsas -- anything you want to give a smokey little kick to!
Let me also comment that I think the best burgers are make with a little dimple in the middle when you form them. This is another ongoing battle in my kitchen, as my grillmaster husband seems to prefer burgers that resemble flying saucers -- fat in the middle, with overcooked tapered edges. The even formation of the meat and the dimple in the center ensures even cooking and the burger won't puff up with juice in the middle,which is what will happen without the dimple. We do agree, however, that 80/20 or 70/30 ground beef seems to make a juicier, more flavorful burger. The leaner ground beef is often dry and doesn't have too much flavor. If you do use that kind, add a T. of olive oil and a T. of Worchestershire Sauce to your ground beef to keep it juicy when grilled! We also agree that the buns ought to be slightly toasted either in the oven or on the grill, 2 - 3 minutes, cut side down. What do you think? Perfect or not so much?

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