rebecca's pocket

My initial reaction upon trying to plate these very crumbly burgers was "Kimball, you jackass".

But I have to admit that the flavor was outstanding: somehow the most umami-rich burger I've ever had. The texture, on the other hand, was crumbly, over-cooked, and annoying. The flavor is good enough that I'll try this again, but with modifications to the method.

Modifications this first time included omitting the "Classic Sauce", using cheddar cheese instead of American, and cooking the second side only 2 minutes instead of 3.

Update: As I suspected, grinding the meat more finely than the recommended "15 pulses" makes a big difference. Be sure to trim the fat and gristle from the meat before grinding, and then grind about 20 to 30 quick pulses for a finer texture. I then formed the ground beef loosely into patties. This worked well to preserve the delicacy of the original burger while providing me with a patty I could cook (and eat!) with minimal difficulty.

Finally, we cooked the burgers 90 seconds on each side for a medium/medium rare burger. The time called for in the original recipe will give you a very well done burger. [ 06.21.10 ]