Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

The Burger Joint, a small new chain in the D.C. area, is featuring the Thanksgiving Burger as the burger of the month.
While their regular burgers look to be significantly better than Five Guys Burgers and Fries, this sandwich should be called something other than a burger, I think. Gravy, stuffing and cranberries do not a hamburger make.
My article here.

@SkinnyFatty

Yep - roast it whole in the skin, kinda like you'd do when making baba ganouj. The idea is that you want to retain some of the moisture in there. Modern eggplants are not bitter at all - especially the small one called for in this recipe, so you don't have to worry about salting and pressing them. If I wanted to give them a denser, meatier texture, then I'd do what you do: slice them, salt them, wash them, press them, then cook them.

That said - I didn't actually try it the second way. Perhaps it would work as well. If you give it a go, let me know!

Kenji

Anyone ever tried a "Fatburger" turkey burger? Really quite good! The chain is 50% owned by Magic Johnson and puts out some pretty good burgers.

Funny, I make cheesecake pops when I have a chunk of cheesecake that's too big to toss but too small to serve on its own. First I shove a plastic spoon into a big chunk of cheesecake, then dunk it in melted chocolate, then put it in the freezer. I served a tray of these things and all I heard were moans of pleasure. (My cheesecake is made from scratch. I've seen Shamdra Lee do this where she murders a frozen cheesecake with a scoop, winding up with a cheesecake carcass.)

Re: Soup Sips - do you mean in small cups? That does seem rather silly. I like to serve "dessert bites" on Chinese porcelain spoons. Even if you have 2 it's not like wolfing down an entire dessert - but you get to have a tasty sweet in small measure.

I like the Baconator but it's essential Death on a Bun. There's a place here in Austin called Moo-Moo's that offers two small, slider-style burgers (no vegetables except for griddled onions) with bacon and an order of those satisfies me as much but doesn't leave me feeling bloated or guilty,

It's a really a striking comparison - the model's perky green ruffle of lettuce and the condensation on the tomato slice, against the sad yellow lettuce square and smooshed tomato. Good thing people eat these things in their cars or poor Wendy would have never gone through school.

@maxcriden - thanks for the ongoing support. You are a delight to read as well!

@Lorenzo - My imagination is vivid!

@hungrychrystel - I am sorry about the keyboard damage, but I hope it's been worth it. Thanks!

@lambowner - I am indeed lucky. Hope the reviews have helped your burgering!

@sacscottie - Recommendations for reviews are always welcome. I hope to be covering Sacramento and SF more in the coming months!

@FamishedFem - Thanks so much for the huzzah. You are a trusted and appreciated interlocutor.

@Eating The Road - Glad to see you are covering our nation's burgers as well. I ate somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 different burgers. Not all of them made it onto the review schedule.

@jojoprice - Thanks so much for compliment. Love your burger hunting.

@HerbyN - Thanks for all of your comments and interesting thoughts. We are still do for a burger together!

@hookrilla - You and me both! A year goes by fast. That doesn't mean we're old, right? Thanks for the ongoing support.

@Mike13421 - You are incredibly generous to say that. I hope I continue to inform, entertain, and earn my place here at AHT.

@SAKc - What can I say? You are perhaps my most frequent commenter and I couldn't be happier about it. You are so kind to show your support each week.

@dzhughes - Thank you. I am happy that my work has lead you to some great burgers!

Your year in writing about burgers has been mine in developing a more appreciative and discriminating palate regarding this old standby. My pleasure has been enhanced by the very reading of your weekly postings, and I, too, look forward to Wednesdays to come.

good stuff man... i remember that Bill's review. i cant believe it's been a year!!!

okay i did actually try this and it was even more of a hassle than i expected dealing with the ox tail. maybe i'm just a terrible butcher but this blend definitely wasn't worth the time. oh well.

Sadly, this burger is nowhere near being worthy of the attention or the price tag. This evening's rendition was absolutely insipid. The beef added nothing but bulk to the dish--no satisfying crust, no rich, no seasonings in or on, no aged beef funkiness, and the grind was fine enough to make it resemble baby food in both taste and texture. The bun would really work with a flavorful version of this burger. The dough was worked just a touch longer than a proper scone, which meant that the gluten strands were sufficiently short as to not create a chewy product. This yielded a perfect, but bland mouth feel. One should definitely pass on the rings. The rings were greasy to the touch and greasier in the mouth--"crunchy, oil sponges" comes to mind.

It is no wonder that not a single staff member asked our table how our food was (during and after the meal)--the answer would have been "disappointing." So it goes...I'm sure that other menu items at Tavern, are wonderful (the heirloom tomatoes were very nice), but I would not recommend this burger to any of my friends.

@HerbyN Beef shank might be an interesting cut to try. In my experience, it's less fatty than oxtail, so you'd probably need to add another fat in there somehow. They'd certainly be easier to butcher. I should have thought to try them, but the butcher didn't have any when I went shopping. But, the quest for the perfect burger is a never ending one, so I see another grinding party coming up!

@CharlesAssam That's a big question, and I think it really depends on what you're going for. If it's an all-American, thin, griddled burger, gooey melted American cheese is a must - it adds texture and fat to the mix. If you're going for a thick, grilled, fancy-pants burger, then the sky is the limit. The proper blending of meat is something that I think helps all types of burgers, thin and thick, grilled or griddled. The right cheese, on the other hand, is defined more by the exact situation at hand.