Bill's Burgers
A great burger, while simple to achieve, is for many an elusive goal so here's the recipe:
My father, Bill Smith (or Dr. Wm. Stanley Smith, as many knew him) was a great grillmaster, and he turned out a spectacular burger. When I was about 45 he finally gave me his secrets:
70% lean ground chuck
5 burgers = 2 lb (or 6.4 oz each)
nothing added
Tonight I made a couple of beauties: medium rare, juicy and good. It's raining out so they were cooked on the indoor gas grill (that sound you hear right there is my father turning in his grave: only Kingsford charcoal briquettes ever burned beneath his burgers), 5 minutes on one side and about 2-1/2 minutes on the other. Of course, the timing varies according to your fire, how far the burgers are from the fire, and how done you want them.
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Stevie Wonder!!!
(A repeat of an earlier post to a differnt day.)
This is a FANTASTIC way to share one of your most gracious obsessions.
Keep cooking, writing and posting.
I can smell it all... and all is wonderfilled.
Later,
Curtis
Posted by: Curtis | May 23, 2005 at 11:04 AM
Solution to 70% dilema
In today's lean obsessed society, readers of this fine blog may find it more than challenging to obtain 70% lean chuck. However if you take the time to follow Grandpa's #1 rule of grilling, this potential grill-stopping problem will be solved in a snap.
#1 Rule: "Make Friends with Your Butcher"
Following this sage advice today, I asked the kind gentleman who was restocking the chuck if such a thing as 70% exists anymore. He said 80% was the lowest they go, and I said okay...thanks.
Apparently, Tom (as I later learned his name), had not finished pondering my query -- "well, you could grind up a chuck steak or roast... look for marbling ...the fattier it looks the closer to a less than lean end product."
"Gee, I said, that sounds like a good idea, but I don't have a grinder (unlike Uncle Charlie)".
Tom said, "yet, but I do.."
...and that was the beginning of a what I hope will be a beautiful relationship with my new bestfriend, Tom the Butcher...
and oh, those burgers were 'mm 'mm good!
Posted by: Jenny (Bill's grandaughter) | May 29, 2005 at 06:04 PM