How do you achieve really good gourmet burger?
I think where people fail is that their burgers tend to be deconstructed once you eat them.
It can be too much ingredients; not properly layering them; not enough technique involved; or even using the wrong choice of ingredients.
I believe that burgers need to be simple.
First, get your ratios right for the beef.
If you’re based in Dumaguete, get the ground beef from Belcris. It’s USDA-certified, and the ratio probably is 80:20 meat and fat. That’s probably the best for burgers in Dumaguete.
If you wanna keep it local, go to Manong Delvo at the local market, and ask for a 50:50 ratio of unod and tambok (lean and fat).
Also, season the beef generously. Don’t frickin’ marinate the beef prior to cooking. Season them to order with salt, or salt and pepper. (In my case, that would be an equal mix of Ajinomoto and salt.)
Second, get the buns right.
Opt for the simple classic buns. No brioche pastry bread, please. Then toast them properly in butter, not margarine. Toast them low and slow, not on high heat and fast.
Third, American cheese is key.
Get the ones in 70-80 pieces per pack that go under the brands Emborg, or American Heritage, or that brand I can’t understand as it seems to be written in Arabic. Just don’t use Eden, no Danes, no Cheesewiz.
Fourth, layer the ingredients properly.
The bottom vegetables need to be fluffed as they will soak the juices from the meat. This is your lettuce. You can choose from Romaine, Curly Leaf, or Iceberg but I prefer shredded Iceberg lettuce.
The top vegetables can be the juicy ones, tomato, onions, etc depending on your preferences.
The use of cucumbers in a burger seems to be a Dumaguete thing, but I highly suggest to skip that part, and instead use pickles.
Last, the burger needs to be able to hold itself, even when you have to eat it with one hand, the ingredients won’t fall off.
A burger should be able to fit in anyone’s mouth without any issues, and that oen bite should take all the ingredients in; no one [ingredient] should be left behind.
Sure, there are people who love to eat even “messy” burgers, I don’t know what’s wrong with that, as clearly, they enjoy it that way.
But I prefer my burger the simple way.
Bonus: If you prefer to add sauces on your burger, make sure to use either Heinz tomato catsup, Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise, Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise, Best Food Mayonnaise, or French’s Mustard. No other sauce can top it.
How about you? How do you like your burger?
Me, I just love Adamo Burger. It’s near-perfect. (I just need one more burger.)
P.S. Budget-friendly burgers would be for another column.
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