The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (179 page)

SERVES 6 TO 8

If you can’t find chuck and/or sirloin, substitute any 85 percent lean ground beef. Handle the meat gently; it should be thoroughly combined but not pastelike. To avoid using the broiler, glaze the loaf in a 500-degree oven; increase cooking time for each interval by 2 to 3 minutes.

MEATLOAF

GLAZE

1. FOR THE MEATLOAF:
Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on plate and place in freezer until ready to use. Fold piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil to form 10 by 6-inch rectangle. Center foil on wire rack and place rack in rimmed baking sheet. Poke holes in foil with skewer about half inch apart. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray and set aside.

2.
Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add tomato juice. Cook, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits, until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside to cool.

3.
Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in saltines, parsley, soy sauce, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground beef; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to aluminum foil rectangle and shape into 10 by 6-inch oval about 2 inches high. Smooth top and edges of meatloaf with moistened spatula. Bake until meatloaf registers 135 to 140 degrees, 55 to 65 minutes. Remove meatloaf from oven and turn on broiler.

4. FOR THE GLAZE:
While meatloaf cooks, combine glaze ingredients in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread half of glaze evenly over cooked meatloaf with rubber spatula; place under broiler and cook until glaze bubbles and begins to brown at edges, about 5 minutes. Remove meatloaf from oven and spread evenly with remaining glaze; place back under broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbling and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Cool meatloaf about 20 minutes before slicing.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Making an exceptional hamburger isn’t hard or time-consuming; you just need the right beef—and to know how to season, form, and cook it properly. After a side-by-side taste test of various cuts of beef all ground to order with 20 percent fat, we quickly concluded that most cuts are pleasant but bland when compared with robust, beefy flavored ground chuck. Because ground beef labels at some retailers do not indicate the cut from which the meat has been ground, you might want to buy a chuck roast and have your butcher grind it for you (or you can grind it yourself in a food processor). We also found that when making a dish as simple as a hamburger, the little things matter. Seasoning the meat before shaping is key, as is using a light hand when shaping the patties.

SERVES 4

You can use a 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet or a stovetop grill pan for this recipe.

1.
Break up beef to increase surface area for seasoning. Add salt and pepper; toss lightly with hands to distribute seasoning. Divide meat into 4 equal portions (5 ounces each); with cupped hands, toss 1 portion of meat back and forth to form a loose ball. Pat lightly to flatten into 1-inch-thick burger, about 4 inches across, using fingertips to create pocked, textured surface. Repeat with remaining portions of meat.

2.
Heat oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add patties and cook, turning once, until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare). Serve with buns and desired toppings.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Classic drive-in burgers used to mean freshly ground high-quality beef, but today fast-food burgers are nothing more than tasteless, mass-produced patties. We wanted to bring back the original—an ultra-crisp, ultra-browned, ultra-beefy burger perfect for catching dripping juices, melted cheese, and tangy sauce. We learned that freshly ground beef was essential and a combination of sirloin steak tips and boneless beef short ribs was best. We also found that the meat must be very loosely packed to prevent rubbery, tough patties. Topped with a sweet and tangy sauce, cheese, and a few thin slices of onion, this burger recaptures the flavor and texture that started a nationwide craze.

SERVES 4

Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. Flank steak can be used in its place. This recipe yields juicy medium to medium-well burgers. It’s important to use very soft buns. If doubling the recipe, process the meat in three batches in step 2. Because the cooked burgers do not hold well, fry four burgers and serve them immediately before frying more, or cook them in two pans. Extra patties can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Stack the patties, separated by parchment, and wrap them in three layers of plastic wrap. Thaw burgers in a single layer on a baking sheet at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

1.
Place beef chunks on baking sheet in single layer, leaving ¹⁄
₂
inch of space around each chunk. Freeze meat until very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, 15 to 25 minutes.

2.
Pulse half of meat in food processor until coarsely ground, 10 to 15 pulses, stopping and redistributing meat around bowl as necessary to ensure beef is evenly ground. Transfer meat to baking sheet, overturning workbowl and without directly touching meat. Repeat grinding with remaining meat. Spread meat over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.

3.
Gently separate ground meat into 4 equal mounds. Without picking meat up, use fingers to gently shape each mound into loose patty ¹⁄
₂
inch thick and 4 inches in diameter, leaving edges and surface ragged. Season top of each patty with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Refrigerate while toasting buns.

4.
Melt ¹⁄
₂
tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add bun tops, cut side down, and toast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and bun bottoms. Set buns aside and wipe out skillet with paper towels.

5.
Return skillet to high heat; add oil and heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to skillet and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers over and cook for 1 minute. Top each patty with slice of cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute longer.

6.
Transfer patties to bun bottoms and top with onion. Spread about 1 tablespoon
of burger sauce on each bun top. Cover burgers and serve immediately.

MAKES ABOUT
¹⁄
₄
CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
BEST OLD-FASHIONED BURGERS

Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Few things are as satisfying as a thick, juicy pub-style burger. But avoiding the usual
gray band of overcooked meat is a challenge. We wanted a patty that was well-seared, juicy, and evenly rosy from center to edge. Grinding our own meat in the food processor was a must, and sirloin steak tips were the right cut for the job. Cutting the meat into small ¹⁄
₂
-inch chunks before grinding and lightly packing the meat to form patties gave the burgers just enough structure to hold their shape in the skillet. A little melted butter improved their flavor and juiciness, but our biggest discovery came when we transferred the burgers from the stovetop to the oven to finish cooking—the stovetop provided intense heat for searing, while the oven’s gentle ambient heat allowed for even cooking, thus eliminating the overcooked gray zone.