Missing those grill-kissed summer burgers?
Here's how to make them without the grill.
Folks, I miss summer. I miss impromptu beach trips, brain freeze–inducing cocktails, and SPF in triple digits. But more than anything, I miss burgers. Plump, juicy, smoky burgers. The kind that only come off the grill.
Burgers cooked on the stove top usually can't compare. With no smoke and nowhere for the beef fat to go, the meat usually ends up simmering in its own juices instead of searing over a hot flame. The flavor, moisture, and texture is completely different than those of grilled burgers.
Is it possible to cook an excellent burger indoors?
Here's our best, indoor burger – cooking advice...
USE A FLAT CAST- IRON PAN
When making burgers at home, some people stick them under the broiler. Some cooks deep-fry their burgers to get that crisp exterior. The best way? Do as I do and get a cast-iron pan ripping hot. In less than a minute in the pan, your burgers will form a crusty sear.
I like a flat pan because you get better browning across the whole surface of the meat, which is one of the advantages of cooking indoors.
DON'T DIMPLE THE PATTIES (UNLESS YOU LIKE FLAT BURGERS)
Over the summer, I recommended dimpling, or making a shallow indentation in the center of each patty. And that works great on the grill, where the edges of the burger are also getting hot and begin to contract and push the center up. But in the case of the stove top skillet, where there isn't a blast of heat from below or flames licking up the side, your burger isn't going to puff up as much, making dimpling unnecessary.
CHILL THE PATTIES
You want your burger patties to be chilled when they hit the pan. Cold fat gets clingy, which helps a burger patty keep its shape throughout cooking. But when you handle the meat to form the patties, the warmth from your hands causes some of the fat to break down, so cover and chill the formed patties for at least 20 minutes before cooking them. This will also help prevent the center from cooking too quickly.
SALT RIGHT BEFORE COOKING
One of the biggest rules of burger-making stands up both in and out of doors. Salting the burger patties long before cooking (or worse, while mixing the ground meat) will change the meat's structure and cause its proteins to denature.
Salting starts to “cook” the patties, The protein shrinks and squeezes out moisture—and you don’t want to lose that juiciness. If you were worried about the burgers falling flat, they’ll literally do that with a premature salt sprinkling. Instead, season your burgers with salt and pepper—both sides—right before placing the patties in the pan.
CHECK THE TEMPERATURE (FROM THE SIDE)
When taking the temperature of a burger to check for doneness (which you should do if you want to nail that perfect medium-rare center—and to ensure food safety), it's tempting to poke the patty from the top. But not only does this create an unsightly blemish, but it’s also not nearly as accurate. For the best results, use an instant-read thermometer and stick the probe in from the side.
"FAKE" THE SMOKE FLAVOR
Let’s face it. The real reason we love to eat burgers during the summer is because the smoke from the grill flavors every bite. Since that's not easy to replicate indoors, you can fake it by seasoning the burgers with smoked salts or smoked paprika, (Another option: fry up a pan of smoky bacon to top the burgers. Certainly couldn't hurt.)
BEST INDOOR BURGER
 |
| Cooking a Burger with out a Grill |
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 lbs ground beef
Olive oil
1 large red onion
1 splash of white wine vinegar
2 large gherkins
4 sesame-topped brioche burger buns
4–8 slices of smoked bacon
4 teaspoons yellow mustard
Tabasco Chipotle sauce
4 thin slices of Cheddar cheese
4 teaspoons tomato ketchup
Burger Sauce:
1/4 of an iceberg lettuce
2 heaping tablespoons mayo
1 heaping tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco Chipotle sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
optional: 1 teaspoon brandy or bourbon
PREPARATION:
1. Divide ground beef into 4 and, with wet hands, roll each piece into a ball, then press into flat patties roughly 5 inches wide and about 3/4 inch wider than your buns.
2. Place on an oiled plate and chill in the fridge. Next, finely slice the red onion, then dress in a bowl with the vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. Slice the gherkins and halve the buns. Finely chop the lettuce and mix with the rest of the burger sauce ingredients in a bowl, then season to taste.
I like to cook only 2 burgers at a time to achieve perfection, so get two pans on the go—a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat for your burgers and another on a medium heat for the bacon.
3. Pat your burgers with oil and season them with salt and pepper. Put 2 burgers into the first pan, pressing down on them with a slotted spatula, then put half the bacon into the other pan. After 1 minute, flip the burgers and brush each cooked side with a 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and a dash of Tabasco.
4. After another minute, flip onto the mustard side and brush again with another 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and a second dash of Tabasco on the other side. Cook for 1 more minute, by which point you can place some crispy bacon on top of each burger with a slice of cheese. Add a tiny splash of water to the pan and place a heatproof bowl over the burgers to melt the cheese—30 seconds should do it. At the same time, toast 2 split buns in the bacon fat in the other pan until lightly golden. Repeat with the remaining 2 burgers.
5. To build each burger, add a quarter of the burger sauce to the bun base, then top with a cheesy bacon burger, a quarter of the onions, and gherkins. Rub the bun top with a teaspoon of ketchup, then gently press together. As the burger rests, juices will soak into the bun, so serve right away, which is great, or for an extra-naughty experience, wrap each one in parchment paper, then give it a minute to go gorgeous and sloppy.
Enjoy
