PrintHow do you top your burger? What kind of meat, cheese and bun?
My fave is ground Angus with provolone on a Kaiser roll, topped with Hellman's mayonnaise, chopped green olive and pimiento, lettuce leaves and tomato slices.
Second best? Ground chuck with mild cheddar on a restaurant hamburger roll, topped with Heinz ketchup, French's mustard, bread-and-butter pickles and slices of banana peppers.
Oh, and toast or grill the buns, please.
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22 Comments:
Onion roll, hellman's mayo, ketchup. sharp cheddar and good kosher pickle, fried onion
JerzeeTomato at 4:17PM on 05/05/07
i have perfected the art of constructing a beautiful veggie burger. i use amy's california veggie burgers (made with grains, wild mushrooms, walnuts, etc) and spread some creamy laughing cow cheese on it -- tastes really good. i put in on a toasted whole wheat english muffin with hummus on one side, lots whole grain mustard on the other. inside i squeeze in slices of dill pickle, roasted onion, tomato, and avocado and voila! and you can add some pesto in there somewhere if you like. depends on one's mood.
numnums at 4:24PM on 05/05/07
Soft, thick roll (brioche or low-bin restaurant bun), buttered & grilled; American cheese, lettuce, thick slices of tomato, red onion.
Christopher Balla at 4:59PM on 05/05/07
i'm with numnums.
tudogostoso at 5:20PM on 05/05/07
Kaiser roll, seasoned turkey burger topped with american cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, salt and pepper, lettuce tomato, ketchup and mayo...yum..
spaghetti at 5:44PM on 05/05/07
morningstar farms veggie burger on a toasted multigrain english muffin. Toppings totally depend on the type of burger I'm going with that night. Maybe some ketchup or grainy mustard ... fresh basil ... slice of tomato when the farmers market doesn't disappoint.
cupcake girl at 7:11PM on 05/05/07
I have to say, the chopped olives intrigue me.
I'm not fussy about my cheeseburgers, but my favorite way is the old Friendly's "setup" way - a hamburger patty grilled and then inserted into a white-bread yellow American grilled cheese, with nothing but ketchup as a condiment. Wait, does bacon count as a condiment?
AdamH at 7:43PM on 05/05/07
AdamH asks, "Wait, does bacon count as a condiment?" Not a condiment, but it's definitely a topping item for a burger. I posted the question, and I'd even be willing to try a grilled Canadian bacon on a burger sometime.
LunaPierCook at 9:00PM on 05/05/07
Fancy-schmancy burger: coarse ground sirloin, grilled rare, on a toasted ciabatta roll from LaBrea bakery. Topped with smooshes of Oregonzola, a couple strips of Nueske's bacon, sautéed Walla Wallas and a thin schmear of chipolte mayo mixed with chopped green olives.
Basic goody gut-bomb: good chuck formed into the thinnest patty, heavily salt & peppered, quickly fried. Add some onions to the pan, top the burgers with American to maximize the melty-cheesiness, and pile the whole drippy mess onto squishy white buns dressed with Nalley's horseradish mustard and bread & butter pickles. If it's tomato season, throw on a slice or two and call it good.
sallyforth at 9:57PM on 05/05/07
No brioche; it's too sweet. Fat burgers get nothing but a little salt, a slice of onion and some kind of mustard. The thin kind, grilled quickly so that the edges are crispy, might get the same thing, but back in the Sixties, Friendly's served burgers with mayo, no matter what else you ordered with it. So I became enamored of mayo/mustard/lettuce/tomato, which is pretty good. And then there are medium-thickness, home-fried burgers topped with sour cream and onions fried until they start to brown. Regular bun.
lemons at 12:32AM on 05/06/07
Roll, either standard or English muffin. Beef: Angus, rare if I am making it or know the restaurant well, medium rare if I don't. Blue cheese with bacon and sauteed onion, or cheddar/American with raw onion and pickle. Best topped burger I ever had was the Mooseburger (not moose) with provolone, mushrooms, onion, and special sauce. It was in VT or NH, can't remember--my Home of the Mooseburger t-shirt is at the laundry!
BaHa at 11:59AM on 05/06/07
Cheeseburger in Paradise!
Tried to amend my carnivorous habits
Made it nearly seventy days
Losin' weight without speed, eatin' sunflower seeds
Drinkin' lots of carrot juice and soakin' up rays
But at night I'd have these wonderful dreams
Some kind of sensuous treat
Not zucchini, fettucini or bulgar wheat
But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat
Cheeseburger in paradise
Heaven on earth with an onion slice
Not too particular, not too precise
I'ts just a cheeseburger in paradise
Heard about the old time sailor men
They eat the same thing again and again
Warm beer and bread they said could raise the dead
Well it reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn
But times have changed for sailors these days
When I'm in port I get what I need
Not just Havanas or bananas or daiquiris
But that American creation on which I feed
Cheeseburger in paradise
Medium rare with mustard be nice
Heaven on earth with an onion slice
I'ts just a cheeseburger in paradise
I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good God almighty which way do I steer for my
Cheeseburger in paradise
Makin' the best of every virtue and vice
Worth every damn bit of sacrifice to get a
Cheeseburger in paradise
I need a cheeseburger in paradise
I'ts just a cheeseburger in paradise
1stmakearoux at 4:30PM on 05/06/07
Honest ta' Murgatroid, I did not see that coming. ;-)
LunaPierCook at 7:53PM on 05/06/07
80/20 ground chuck, about a 1/3 of a lb each, grilled med rare over charcoal, toasted regular hamburger bun, traditional american cheese, slice of red onion, tomato if in season, Heinz ketchup, Valasic pickle chips on the side. Some times use pepper jack instead of american. Addition of roasted green chili is always good for a change.
Colorado Jim at 10:06AM on 05/07/07
I mix my seasonings into the ground beef (medium amount fat content), sauteeing the chopped onions first. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, lots of it. Toast a ciabbata roll or whole wheat English muffin in the pan with olive oil, then sear the burger, flipping then covering. Reduce heat, cook a few minutes, flip again, cook a minute or two, then place on bun and eat. No toppings, just seasoned beef and bun.
Livingtoeat at 11:39AM on 05/07/07
Two faves: Put a lot of worcestershire sauce sauce into the patties, form a slight pocket and insert blue cheese. Grill, top with uncooked red onions, grain mustard, on a toasted roll.
Aussie style with beets (or beechroot as they call it), pineapple, canadian bacon and a fried egg.
SkinnyFatty at 3:40PM on 05/07/07
A nice thick patty (mixed with Worchestershire sauce, salt/pepper, sometimes a tiny bit of chili sauce), topped with cheese (Muenster, often), balsamic grilled portobella mushrooms and onions, bacon, and a tomato on a standard sesame seed bun. Or I like a good burger topped with avocados and pico de gallo on two slices of a good crusty bread.
AlexRaine at 3:52PM on 05/07/07
Big juice medium-rare leaning toward rare -- some ground brisket in with the chuck really bumps it up. Topped with american cheese, bacon (preferably the slab stuff that's so en vogue these days) and then a fried egg over well. Love the egg, and the heat of it seals in the cheese and bacon and makes it all melt together.
This question comes up a lot around here.
I also adore the M&M burger at Rare on 27th & Lex. Basic burger, flambed in whiskey topped with cheddar, bacon, and carmelized shallots. Mmmmm.
And always no bun for me.
FKC at 12:55AM on 05/08/07
My burger of choice is a quarter pound of 85/15, grilled medium. Serve it on a grilled onion roll, with bacon, bleu cheese, horseradish mayo, catsup and carmelized onions, plus a couple of tomato slices if they are in season in my garden.
Those of you who specified "angus" beef have got to be kidding if you think you can tell the difference in the flavor of meat between Angus and other breeds of beef cattle. I grew up on a cattle ranch and I can tell you that there is NO difference. There may be slight differences between individual cattle depending on age, health and diet. However, Angus beef's supposed superiority is simply a marketing ploy. The vast majority of the beef sold as "angus" beef is actually crossbred Hereford and Angus cattle. A wider gene pool is better for the herd and the individual cattle. In botany they call that concept "hybrid vigor."
Calichef at 5:10AM on 05/08/07
CaliChef, while I understand what you're saying (even though your description here is the first I've heard of it), Angus beef surely tastes different to me. In fact, I prefer cooking with it as it at least seems to cook up better than some other types of beef. If it's only a marketing ploy, I must surely be susceptible to placebos! I know, I know, you're thinking, "Don't call me Shirley ... " ;-)
LunaPierCook at 7:33AM on 05/08/07
Zabar's is now selling pre-sliced Danish bleu cheese...seems perfect for a burger.
selizara at 4:48PM on 05/08/07
LunaPierCook, I think the difference you are noticing is the difference in grades of beef, not sub-species of cattle.
The majority of beef in supermarkets today is Select grade, which certainly isn't. It is the third grade. Prime is the best grade, and available almost only in great, top of the line restaurants, although some of the really pricey butcher shops like Loebell's probably carry it, too. I'm only guessing, living in California and having never shopped at Loebell's. However, I have seen the meat from Loebell's on TV a few times and it appears to be Prime. The difference you probably notice is the difference between Select and Choice, which is noticeably better meat. Most grocery chains sell Select beef which can come from virtually any sub-species of beef cattle.
I do have some friends who will argue with me that "Select" beef is better because it's leaner. Of course, these are the same people who eat all of their meat well-done. *rolls eyes*
The only way you could be certain that the beef you are actually buying is, indeed, Angus would be if you are buying either directly from the rancher or from one of those meat boutiques that sells only local, sustainable, organic and humanely raised meats. Those places can probably tell you the steer's name and give you a copy of his pedigree.
Calichef at 3:09AM on 05/09/07