Written by Lee White
Cliff Ward can’t remember the
last time he had a hamburger in a restaurant. And why should he? As the owner
of Cliff’s Quality Meat in Essex and a butcher of some of the most prime meat
on the shoreline, he grinds his own hamburger and grinds it for many other
residents and restaurants in the area.
Ward says a burger should
weigh around six ounces if it’s served on a bun, bigger without. The best
hamburgers, he says, include a mix of sirloin, filet, and other meat, which he
calls “trimmings.” Is that what we get when we buy ground beef at the
supermarkets? Not often, Ward says. Ground beef can come from “anywhere and
everywhere,” he says. It can be meat from dried-out milk cows or from muscular bulls,
which have very little fat.
But what can we, as
customers, do when we can’t get to Cliff’s for burger ingredients? If you want your
own grilled burgers to be rare to medium-rare, Cliff says the fewer people who
handle the ground beef, the safer the hamburger. It is best to buy a steak and
grind it yourself, either in one of those old-fashioned meat grinders or with a
food processor's steel disk. I should do that myself, but more often I
will pick up a great-looking chuck steak at the supermarket and ask the butcher
to grind it for me.
How to Cook a Great
Burger
The best hamburger may be the
one you create at home and is best made from super-fresh, local beef; remember:
handling and miles traveled compromises the integrity of the beef. I serve my
burgers on grilled hard rolls, I use plain old American cheese for those who
want cheese, and place the cheese on the burger after I have flipped the first
time. I serve mine separately so people can create their own, with lettuce,
medium thick slices of tomatoes (if native tomatoes are not available, buy the
ones called Uglyripe at the supermarket), and thin slices of Vidalia (or sweet)
onions.
Yield: 6 hamburgers
One and a half pounds
excellent ground chuck
Sea salt or kosher salt to
taste
6 toasted rolls (preferably
fresh hard rolls)
Turn grill to hot and close
the lid. If you are using a charcoal grill, add charcoal, and light them with a
chimney stuffed with newspapers. Charcoal should be gray before you begin the
burgers.
Cut the ground chuck into six
pieces, and lightly mold the pieces into balls. Just as lightly, pat the balls
into patties.
When grill is hot, open lid,
and place burgers onto the grill. Do not use a spatula to push down on the
burgers, and do not flip them until you can turn them without losing half the
patties on the grill. Flip the burgers only once. Sprinkle the flipped burgers with
salt, to taste.
If you are adding cheese, add
after you have flipped the burgers. If you like your burgers rare or medium
rare, this whole operation will take no more than four minutes on the first
side, maybe one minute on the second.
Place hamburgers on toasted
rolls and serve immediately. This is a time when you don’t want to let the meat
rest.
Five Seasons Ketchup
Now, I love Heinz ketchup,
but if you want to make a splash, try making this home-made ketchup.
From Barbecue Bible Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades by Steven Raichlen
(Workman, New York,
2000)
Yield: 3 cups
1 28-ounce can of tomato
puree
¾ cup barley malt syrup or
rice syrup, to taste
½ cup tarragon vinegar, or
more to taste
2 tablespoons pure chili
powder
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or
kosher salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon celery seeds
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground mace
½ cup cold water, or as
needed
Place all ingredients in a
large, heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until ketchup is thick and richly
flavored, whisking often to keep it from scorching (approximately 15 minutes). The
ketchup should be thick but pourable; if too thick, add a little more water.
Correct seasoning, adding more of any ingredient to taste. The ketchup should
be highly seasoned. Transfer the ketchup to jars, serving bowl, or squirt
bottles, cover, and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until serving. The
ketchup will keep for several weeks. Note: For a sharper tomato flavor, replace
up to half the tomato puree with tomato paste.