Luckily as soon as we started to cook the energy began to flow and the recipe started to come together.
Clint started with his burger sauce. A mix of mayonnaise, American mustard, finely chopped pickles and black pepper. Apparently the secret ingredient is little bit of piccalilli, which we weren't able to buy in the only minimart we could find open.
The sauce had a nice balance and tang. Let's be honest, everyone is trying to recreate the holy grail with their burger sauces, MacDonald's BigMac sauce.
We moved back to the Fake Shack recipe when cooking the burgers. We only added a little bit of salt and pepper to the beef before pan frying them using the smash and scrape technique. Pushing down with two spatulas helps to give you an even cook. The high heat from the pan creates a little bit of charring on the burger.
To go with the burger we made Angie's light brioche buns. Oh my gosh, these buns are close to perfection for a burger. Simple to make (as long as you have a Kitchen Aid, I think the dough is too wet to work by hand), they are light and soft with an airy texture. The buns have a little bit of sweetness, but definitely not too much. Overly sweet rolls are a major downfall of many a burger for me.
Toppings were strictly limited to the burger sauce, a slice of melted cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce and ketchup.
We also had some awesome homemade twice cooked fries, which worked surprisingly well with the only potatoes we could find in the shop.
Plaudits for the burgers were rapturous. The perfect size for a burger. The best bun. The best pattie of burger project. And even the over the top 'best burger of my life'.
I was shocked at how well the burgers had turned out. From the light and squishy buns, to the rich and tender burger it was awesome to eat. But even more than the great burgers we had four friends eating together. I think Clint was happy and that, for me, was the objective of the evening.
MMM!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the best burger so far, very impressed with the patty. I would still like to see more softness in the buns...but the real test comes finding a meat grinder and repeating the process. Got to lock this method down. Much appreciated effort sir.
ReplyDeleteYour a man with very high standards, I thought it was the softest bun I'd ever eaten!
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you've got the method locked down and can cook 100 hr and we'll open our own burger bar!
Hehe yes, a KitchenAid works wonders! =D Probably the only reason why I actually made my own buns hehe. Never actually thought about how sticky it would be to do by hand... Awww Clint is a man of very high standards! I loved the buns! And I think classic fillings are what makes a burger, and the patty too =)
ReplyDeleteLove it! What kind of beef did you use?
ReplyDeleteBurgers now are so far removed from what I used to have as a kid - thin, floury takeaway store ones with more bun than beef!
@Tina we used 50% sirlon, 25% chuck and 25% brisket minced together for the burgers. It works really well and gives you a good combination of flavour and a melting texture.
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