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by Gwyneth Doland
For over 100 years now, Americans have been obsessed with hamburgers. When the hamburger hit the scene in the beginning of the 20th century, the country was ready for a great-tasting portable sandwich. The emergence of the automobile and the progress of the nation’s highways allowed fast-food chains to spread across the country. A mere 30 years after the hamburger’s introduction, there were 100 White Castle restaurants in America. In 1964, there were nearly 700 McDonald’s serving burgers. Today, we eat about 15 billion hamburgers per year.
Grease the grill! Before you put any patties down on that grill rack, make sure you’ve scraped all of the crusty bits off with a wire brush. Then, wipe the grate down with a cloth dabbed with oil, first to clean it and then to prepare it for cooking.
Give yourself some room. Leave one area of the grill with just a few coals so that you can move food there if it starts to burn. On a gas grill, you can use an upper rack as an emergency landing pad.
Rotate. Lay all the burgers out and let them cook for a couple of minutes on one side, then turn. Give them a couple minutes on the other side, then turn again and cook for about five more minutes. If they start to get a little too well-done on the outside, move them to a cooler part of the grill.
Think Outside the Bun
There is no law that says you have to use those squishy-soft hamburger buns from the grocery store. These recipes call for taco shells, soft tortillas and Mexican bolillos, but you can also put burgers on English muffins, big dinner rolls, buttermilk biscuits or slices of multigrain bread.
Lettuce, tomato and onion are standard burger toppings because they do a great job of setting off a hot burger with cool, crisp toppings. But also try some fiery hot pickles, thinly sliced apple or jicama for extra crunch.
Do not fear mayonnaise. Although some people think it sounds strange, mayonnaise works miracles for burgers, transforming a slightly-too dry burger and an over-toasted bun into pure heaven.
All of these tips apply equally to veggie burgers, grilled chicken breasts, portobello mushrooms and anything else you intend to grill like a burger.
Buffalo Burgers with Pepita Pesto
This recipe is from my new cookbook, Cilantro Secrets, published in June, 2006 by Rio Nuevo. For this version, I’ve added some jalapeno for an extra kick. Buffalo meat is very lean, and it benefits from the rich flavor of this pumpkin seed (pepita) pesto. You can use any leftover pesto on black beans or nachos, or tossed with pasta. And yes, you can use store-bought pesto if you must.
In a large bowl, combine the meat and pesto and gently form the mixture into 4 patties.
Grill the burgers over high heat until they reach the desired level of doneness.
Brush the rolls with the olive oil and toast them on the grill until golden.
Serve the burgers garnished with lettuce, tomato, avocado and onion.
Yield: 4 burgers
Heat Scale: Medium
Pepita Pesto
Feel free to add more jalapenos or use a different type of chile if you like.
In a blender or food processor, process the cilantro, jalapenos, garlic, toasted pumpkin seeds, and Parmesan. Add the olive oil in a thin stream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yield: About 2 cups
Heat Scale: Medium
In Albuquerque, N.M. there is a small chain of locally-owned fast-food restaurants called Bob’s Burgers. Although Bob’s is best known for the Ranchero Burger, which comes on a soft bun, smothered in super hot chile, the taco burger’s queso topping is absolutely irresistible. This version will get you close, but not quite all the way to the real thing – and also probably halfway to a heart attack.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with salt and pepper and gently form the mixture into 4 wide, flat patties. Do not squash the patties!
Grill the burgers over high heat until they reach the desired level of doneness. On a cooler part of the grill, heat the taco shells in a small flame-proof baking pan.
As soon as the burgers are cooked, slice them in half and put them in the taco shells. Top with warm chile con queso, followed by diced tomato and shredded lettuce. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 burgers
Heat Scale: Mild
Chile con Queso
This recipe will make more queso than you need for the burgers. Oh no! Leftover queso! What could you possibly do with it?
In a medium sauce pan, fry the garlic, onion, chiles and tomatoes together over medium heat until the onion is softened.
Add the Velveeta and continue cooking, stirring often, until it is completely melted. Hold the chile con queso warm over low heat until you’re ready to serve.
Yield: About 4 cups
Heat Scale: Medium
Turkey Mole Burgers
Store-bought mole delivers a quick dose of flavor to turkey, which can be dry and bland. Look for jars of mole in the Mexican foods section of your supermarket. Popular brands include Dona Maria, Rogelio Bueno and El Mexicano. I like to wrap these burgers up in warm, fluffy freshly made flour tortillas, but you can certainly use buns if that’s what you have on hand.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mole paste and warm water until it is the consistency of a thick sauce.
In a large bowl, combine the turkey and mole sauce. If you like your mole hot, add some of your favorite kind of red chile powder. Gently form into 4 patties.
Grill the burgers over high heat until they reach the desired level of doneness. Remove the burgers and warm the tortillas briefly on the grill.
Spread about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on the center of each tortilla. Top with iceberg lettuce, tomato slices and a hot burger. Fold the tortilla up around the burger and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 burgers
Heat Scale: Mild
Chipotle Elk Burgers
Now you’ll know what to do when one of your outdoorsy friends drops off a package of ground elk or venison. Make burgers! Of course you can also substitute ground beef for this recipe.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.
In a large bowl, combine ground elk, ketchup, chipotles and salt, forming 4 large patties.
Grill the burgers over high heat until they reach the desired level of doneness. Remove the burgers from the grill.
Brush the insides of the bolillos or sections of baguette and toast them briefly on the grill.
Fill the bolillos with lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapeno and nestle one elk patty in each. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 burgers
Heat Scale: Medium
Guacamole Salmon Burgers with Cilantro Mayo
Instead of topping salmon filets with guacamole (which would also be good, albeit messier) here I’ve put all the ingredients for a great guacamole right in with the salmon.
Preheat the grill to high and make sure the grill grate is very clean. Before cooking, brush the grate with a little vegetable oil.
In a large bowl, flake the salmon apart with a fork. Add the beaten egg and toss with the fork to combine. Add avocado, onion, garlic, jalapeno and lime and toss to combine. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Form into 4 patties.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and cilantro leaves.
Cook the patties about five minutes on each side, or until the desired level of doneness. Remove the burgers from the grill and toast the Kaiser rolls until pale golden.
Spread the cilantro mayo over the rolls, insert the salmon burgers and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 burgers
Heat Scale: Medium
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