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The post below was from Mike in Kansas several years ago. This makes
great burgers which I made again tonight. I found it saved in
my recipe file and thought I would repost it. John
Posted by Mike in Kansas on July 19, 2005 at 18:28:25:
In Wichita, KS there is hamburger joint called Takomaburger with a sign in the window that reads "We didn't invent the hamburger, we just perfected it." The founder of the joint is an elderly man who several years ago retired and passed the business on to his grandson.
Takomaburger is definitely a Wichita legend and has an excellent reputation for a quality burger. The founder claims his secret is a thin patty and a hot grill. Of course, this is a "greasy spoon" type of a burger--you know, the high fat, high chlorestoral type!!
A few years ago, I decided to try this concept for charcoal grilling hamburgers. I flattened out the patties super thin, pounding tiny pieces of fresh chopped onion into the patties (another Takomaburger technique). I then fired up a Weber charcoal grill with lump charcoal. I probably used six pounds of lump. After the grill was super hot, I grilled my thin patties. I started out with a patty about twice the size of the bun so that when the patty shrank, the meat hung over the edge of the bun (another Takomaburger technique).
Those burgers turned out to be the best I had ever done up to that time. My who enjoyed eating them simply raved over them! To this day, I continue to make my patties super thin, and I grill them on as hot of a charcoal fire as I can build.
My conclusion is that the flavor of the burger comes through much better with a thin patty vs. a thick one. But, the key is the super hot grill. Cooking it over too low of heat will make the burger come out with a rubber type texture, with the flavor not nearly as pronounced.
It is also important to begin with a pattie about double the size of the bun so the meat will overhang on the bun after the burger has cooked. Oh--another important observation: a burger loses some of its flavor after it has cooled down. Condiments should be placed on the bun prior to the patty coming off the grill. Then, bun the pattie and wrap tightly either in foil or pastry squares so the heat permeates the bun. The burger should then be eaten in just a few moments while still hot. As it cools down, the flavor quickly dimineshes.
Anyway, that's my .02 worth for knocking out a perfect hamburger on the grill.
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