For optional fry sauce:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust according to taste. If it's too sweet - add a pinch of salt, if it's too salty add the optional honey, adjust the spiciness lever, etc... Cover and let sit at room temperature for half an hour for flavours to meld as you make your burger.
This amount will be enough for a few burgers. Refrigerate unused sauce.
For the optional sour cream/onion burger:
Place ground been into a bowl and very gently add sour cream (it provides moisture and an interesting subtle zing,) parsley, cooled onions and season the mixture with pepper. Do not add the salt to the inside of the burger as it will compromise the texture of your burger. Mix everything with a fork, again, very gently as overmixing results in a tough burger. Make sure you can still see chunks of meat and your meat is not paste-like. Gently, without squishing or compressing the meat, form patties 1/2" thick or just slightly thicker, with the middle being thinner than the outside. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
For 100% ground beef burgers without the sour cream/onion addition:
Push the meat together into a patty that's about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure not to overwork the meat and not to press it too much. The goal is to pack the meat loosely, yet somewhat firm enough that it mostly holds its shape. Make the burger slightly thinner in the middle. Refrigerate the patty for at least 15 minutes. Do not salt it inside or outside.
Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pan for at least 3 minutes over high heat until shimmering. Season you burger patty with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to season liberally.
Allow the burger to cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning (you most likely will need to turn the heat down to medium high.) While cooking, season the other side of the burger patty with salt. Flip the burger and continue cooking on the other side for another 3-4 minutes or until done to the internal safe temperature of 160.
While the burger is cooking, preheat the broiler to high. Broil your burger buns cut side up until golden, for about a minute. I also place shredded cheese on parchment-lined baking sheet and broil it for just under a minute. Your burger will not be cooked long enough to melt the cheese (unless you use processed cheese,) so I pre-melt the cheese with the broiler then slide it on top of the meat.
Serve the burgers on top of toasted buns with fry sauce, ketchup and/or your favourite fixins.
Be sure not to overcrowd your pan. Ideally 1, but no more than 2 burgers per one cast iron pan. If you wish, you can use two cast iron pans and cook 4 burgers at once, but no more!
Ingredients
Directions
For optional fry sauce:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust according to taste. If it's too sweet - add a pinch of salt, if it's too salty add the optional honey, adjust the spiciness lever, etc... Cover and let sit at room temperature for half an hour for flavours to meld as you make your burger.
This amount will be enough for a few burgers. Refrigerate unused sauce.
For the optional sour cream/onion burger:
Place ground been into a bowl and very gently add sour cream (it provides moisture and an interesting subtle zing,) parsley, cooled onions and season the mixture with pepper. Do not add the salt to the inside of the burger as it will compromise the texture of your burger. Mix everything with a fork, again, very gently as overmixing results in a tough burger. Make sure you can still see chunks of meat and your meat is not paste-like. Gently, without squishing or compressing the meat, form patties 1/2" thick or just slightly thicker, with the middle being thinner than the outside. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
For 100% ground beef burgers without the sour cream/onion addition:
Push the meat together into a patty that's about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure not to overwork the meat and not to press it too much. The goal is to pack the meat loosely, yet somewhat firm enough that it mostly holds its shape. Make the burger slightly thinner in the middle. Refrigerate the patty for at least 15 minutes. Do not salt it inside or outside.
Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pan for at least 3 minutes over high heat until shimmering. Season you burger patty with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to season liberally.
Allow the burger to cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning (you most likely will need to turn the heat down to medium high.) While cooking, season the other side of the burger patty with salt. Flip the burger and continue cooking on the other side for another 3-4 minutes or until done to the internal safe temperature of 160.
While the burger is cooking, preheat the broiler to high. Broil your burger buns cut side up until golden, for about a minute. I also place shredded cheese on parchment-lined baking sheet and broil it for just under a minute. Your burger will not be cooked long enough to melt the cheese (unless you use processed cheese,) so I pre-melt the cheese with the broiler then slide it on top of the meat.
Serve the burgers on top of toasted buns with fry sauce, ketchup and/or your favourite fixins.
Be sure not to overcrowd your pan. Ideally 1, but no more than 2 burgers per one cast iron pan. If you wish, you can use two cast iron pans and cook 4 burgers at once, but no more!
