It’s finally here: hamburger season! Beaumont-Wilshire is soon to be shrouded in a cloud of backyard barbeque smoke. I teamed up with my partner-in-flame Aaron Schmidt to inspire you with some tips and tricks for hamburgers on the grill.
Meat Tips
Grind your own. The number one thing you can do to make awesome hamburgers? Grind your own meat. All you need is a food processor and some meat. Try a few combinations until you find the one you like. We suggest a 1:1 ratio of lean meat such as sirloin, and fatty meat from pork shoulder. (Pork? Yes.) Another blend to try: 40% chuck, 30% short rib, and 30% brisket. (Does that equal 100%? Yes.) Cut the meat into 1-inch chunks, and freeze for 25 minutes before pulsing in the food processor.
Salt and pepper generously. Don’t be shy.
Do not over-handle. Working the meat too much will result in a tough burger. Gross. So be gentle when you form the patties—they don’t need to be perfect, and can even be a bit lumpy.
Shortcut option. Don’t have a food processor? Can’t be bothered to grind? Skip the pre-formed patties and buy ground beef in bulk. We like to use 75% 80/20, and 25% 90/10.
Flavor Tips
Boost your umami. Along with salty, sweet, bitter, and sour, umami is one of the basic flavors. (From Wikipedia: A loanword from the Japanese, umami can be translated as “pleasant savory taste.”) Boosting the umami in your burgers will guarantee your title as Burger Champ. Try this: Mix ground mushrooms and seaweed into your beef. (Don’t worry, your burgers won’t taste like the ocean—they’ll taste like delicious.)
Play with your condiments. First, our unsponsored recommendation for Muir Glen Organic Tomato Ketchup: it has a great flavor that’s not overly sweet. To make it even better, mix ½ cup ketchup with one tablespoon of fish sauce (you can find this at Asian groceries; Beaumont Market also carries it.) Also, a nice aioli is easy to whip up with a bit of mayonnaise, squeeze of lemon, and some minced garlic.
Top it off. Caramelized onions? Check. Extra sharp 2-year vintage Tillamook cheddar? Double check.
Choose local buns. It’s a bit outside of the neighborhood, but the hamburger buns from An Xuyen Bakery (5345 SE Foster) are unparalleled. Totally worth the trip. Otherwise New Seasons Market (5320 NE 33rd Ave) bakes a good organic option that comes in a convenient four-pack.
Beer Tips
Learn German. We like light beers with a German-influence. Helles (pronounced hell-us) means “a light one” and we think helles lagers are a good bet. Try Late Hop Helles from Base Camp Brewing, or Himmelbrau Helles Lager from Laurelwood Public House & Brewery.
Trust the experts. Okay, truth? We know something about burgers, but we don’t know much about beer. So we asked local beer writer Lucy Burningham for her favorite pairings. Lucy recommended Breakside IPA and Hopworks Kolsch.
Gluten-free option. If you’re going gluten-free, try Omission Pale Ale. It’s our go-to brew for all barbeques.