Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (180 page)
SERVES 4
Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. When stirring the butter and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat or the burgers will become dense. For the best flavor, season the burgers aggressively just before cooking. The burgers can be topped as desired or with one of the test kitchen’s favorite combinations (recipes follow).
2 | pounds sirloin steak tips or boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into ¹⁄ |
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | teaspoon vegetable oil |
4 | large hamburger rolls, toasted and buttered |
1.
Place beef chunks on baking sheet in single layer. Freeze meat until very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, 15 to 25 minutes.
2.
Place one-quarter of meat in food processor and pulse until finely ground into ¹/₁₆-inch pieces, about 35 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 3 batches of meat. Spread meat over baking sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.
3.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle melted butter over ground meat and add 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently toss with fork to combine. Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten into patties ³⁄
4
inch thick and about 4¹⁄
2
inches in diameter. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook. (Patties can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
4.
Season 1 side of patties with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to skillet and cook without moving for 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet and bake until burgers register 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 3 to 5 minutes.
5.
Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to buns, add desired toppings, and serve.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
JUICY PUB-STYLE BURGERS
³⁄ | cup mayonnaise |
2 | tablespoons soy sauce |
1 | tablespoon packed dark brown sugar |
1 | tablespoon Worcestershire sauce |
1 | tablespoon minced chives |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
³⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
Heat ¹⁄
2
cup vegetable oil and 3 thinly sliced shallots in medium saucepan over high heat; cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are golden, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots to paper towel–lined plate, season with salt, and let drain until crisp, about 5 minutes. (Cooled shallots can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.) Top each burger with 1 ounce crumbled blue cheese before transferring to oven. Top with crispy shallots just before serving.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 1 thinly sliced onion and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Top each burger with 1 ounce grated smoked cheddar cheese before transferring to oven. Top with onions just before serving.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange 6 bacon slices on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper. Place second rimmed baking sheet on top of bacon and bake until bacon is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and cool. Cut bacon in half crosswise. Top each burger with 1 ounce grated aged cheddar cheese before transferring to oven. Top with bacon just before serving.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 10 ounces trimmed and thinly sliced cremini mushrooms, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 minced shallot and 2 teaspoons minced thyme and cook until fragrant. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons dry sherry. Top each burger with 1 ounce grated Gruyère cheese before transferring to oven. Top with mushrooms just before serving.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Steak tacos are great on the grill, but we wanted to bring steak tacos indoors for those times when grilling outside isn’t an option. Cutting the beef (flank steak) into smaller pieces and pan-searing all four sides gave us the browned exterior and crisp, brittle edges characteristic of grilled meat. A paste of oil, cilantro, scallions, garlic, and jalapeño applied to the meat and scraped off just before cooking gave our steak taco recipe a flavor boost without sacrificing browning.
SERVES 4 TO 6
For a more spicy dish, add the seeds from the chiles
.
In addition to the toppings suggested below, try serving the tacos with Sweet and Spicy Pickled Onions (recipe follows), thinly sliced radishes or cucumber, or salsa.
HERB PASTE
¹⁄ | cup packed fresh cilantro leaves |
3 | garlic cloves, chopped coarse |
3 | scallions, chopped coarse |
1 | jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and chopped coarse |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cumin |
¹⁄ | cup vegetable oil |
1 | tablespoon lime juice |
STEAK
1 | (1¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon kosher salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
2 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
TACOS
12 | (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed |
Fresh cilantro | |
Minced white or red onion | |
Lime wedges |
1. FOR THE HERB PASTE:
Pulse cilantro, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and cumin in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add oil and process until mixture is smooth and resembles pesto, about 15 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer 2 tablespoons herb paste to medium bowl; whisk in lime juice and set aside.
2. FOR THE STEAK:
Using dinner fork, poke each piece of steak 10 to 12 times on each side. Place in large baking dish; rub all sides of steak pieces evenly with salt and then coat with remaining herb paste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
3.
Scrape herb paste off steak and sprinkle all sides of pieces evenly with sugar and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak in skillet and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Flip steak and sear until second side is well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, stand each piece on a cut side and cook, turning as necessary, until all cut sides are well browned and meat registers 125 to 130 degrees, 2 to 7 minutes. Transfer steak to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. FOR THE TACOS:
Slice steak pieces across grain into thin pieces. Transfer sliced steak to bowl with herb paste–lime juice mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Spoon small amount of sliced steak into center of each warm tortilla and serve, passing toppings separately.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
To make this dish spicier, add the reserved chile seeds with the vinegar.
1 | red onion, sliced thin (1¹⁄ |
1 | cup red wine vinegar |
¹⁄ | cup sugar |
2 | jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeds reserved, and cut into thin rings |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
Place onion in medium heatproof bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, jalapeños, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Pour vinegar mixture over onion, cover loosely, and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Once cool, drain and discard liquid. (Pickled onions can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week.)
With its pronounced longitudinal grain, flank steak can be tough and chewy if sliced the wrong way. Make sure to cut the meat into thin slices on the bias, across the grain. This cuts through the connective tissue in the meat and make it more tender.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Most everyone in the test kitchen has fond memories of enjoying ground beef tacos growing up, but in reality the stale-tasting fillings (made with supermarket seasoning packets) and greasy store-bought shells leave a lot to be desired. We set out to develop a ground beef taco recipe with a boldly spiced beef mixture and fresh toppings. We fried corn tortillas to make superior homemade taco shells. For the filling, we sautéed onions and garlic, then sautéed the spices to bring out their flavor. Using very lean ground beef prevented greasiness, and adding tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar created roundness and depth.