Les Is More Burgers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings, doubles easily
Lynne's burger-obsessed friend Les Meltzer has waxed on forever about his pinnacle burger experience from years ago in Minot, North Dakota. There, a certain bar would practically burn their burgers on the grill to get them extra crusty and brown, then drop them into a vat of simmering BBQ sauce to finish.
It's divine inspiration in these times of required well-done patties that end up as dry as dirt.
Wine: Try a big California Zinfandel, slightly chilled to tamp down the alcohol and freshen the wine.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck, 85% lean, organic and grass-fed if possible
- 1 fresh jalapeño chile, minced
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- BBQ Sauce
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 hamburger buns
- Condiments of choice
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Instructions
- 1. With a light hand, blend the chuck with the chile, onion, salt, and pepper. Gently pat the meat into 4 equal patties about 1-1/4 inches thick, and set aside.
- 2. Put the BBQ sauce in a deep 6-quart pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 3. Coat a large skillet with a thin film of oil, and set it over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the burgers and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until they are a deep, crusty brown. Remove the burgers from the skillet and slip them into the simmering BBQ sauce. Simmer at a slow bubble for 6 to 7 minutes for medium (140°F. to 145°F. on an instant-read thermometer) and 8 to 9 minutes for medium to medium-well.
- 4. Remove the meat from the BBQ sauce and assemble the burgers on the buns. Garnish with condiments as you please.
About The Show
In 1994, acclaimed food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper was receiving accolades for her debut book, The Splendid Table, which at that time was the only book to have won both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook of the Year awards. Among the many people enchanted by the book was producer and foodie Sally Swift, who thought the time could be right for a radio program on food.
