Posted on 10/09/2010 8:18:48 AM PDT by big black dog
Maybe a couple of years ago, I gave up on ever expecting any quality product from the big 3 pizza stores. Without exaggeration, I could get a much, much better product by simply picking up a frozen Tombstone pizza and baking it. (Pizza Inn is great though. They don't deliver here, but I gladly go and pick it up rather than order the crap the big 3 serves.)
On to burgers. I used to love McDonalds and Burger King hamburgers. However, for some time, when I would eat them, they just didn't taste right. Especially McDonalds -- It's like I was eating a meat substitute or something. I thought maybe I just didn't like hamburgers anymore.
It has been a long, long time since I cooked any hamburgers at home. But just on a whim, I tried it last night. Didn't do anything special. Just took some ground beef, sprinkled in some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and fried it up on the stove.
Ate a hamburger using 2 pieces of bread with mustard. It was the best hamburger I've had in years! Crunchy outer texture of the fried burger with a juicy interior; I know I'll never eat that crap again at the national joints -- just like with the pizza.
Bob's Burgers on Central close to Downtown Albq. ruled!!
Sadly I think he retired.
But Blake's is also excellent.
Five guys are OK. Haven't been to In and Out in years but everybody used to rave about them back then. Tried several different locations in SoCal and wasn't impressed.
Best I've had in recent years was the sirloin burger at Jack In The Box in Anderson SC. The tacos were also great.
Was waiting for Carl's Jr to come out this way but they bought Hardees. I'm told the menu is the same at both but I'd hate to think CJ’s has went that far downhill.
The best and most consistent I've had is;
Rush's in Columbia, SC. Haven't had one of their burgers in years. It's a 100 mile drive now.
Frank’s used to be my #1 hang. Preacher Jackplayed there every Friday night, too. I think he still gets an occasional gig there, but not steady.
You could always go to Village Pizza in Corrales and get a pepperoni pizza with green chile, or better yet, a Dust Devil.
We miss that place.
yup Preacher Jack played a North Shore Jazz Project benefit at Chianti’s in Beverly last yr
Breaded boneless breast of chicken pressure cooked in peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips. Can order a "chicken club" with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and bacon. Can request CFA Special Sauce packets. Also comes Spicy w/ pepperjack cheese. Available on a Golden Wheat bun.
Is there a secret to frying a burger at home? I’ve only grilled burgers outside and even when my folks would fry a burger inside, I was always disappointed with the taste so I stuck to using the grill. Any recommendations, from oil to fry in, to ingredients would be appreciated.
I used a low carb, reduced calorie diet and moderate exercise. A normal day for me is under 1200 calories and 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates. A 1 1/4 mile walk at lunch, and maybe 3 miles of bike riding in the evening. I also lift some 10 and 25 lb weights a few times each week to help the upper body muscles.
The biggest thing was making the commitment to lose weight. With the commitment, there is some flexibility after you develop an eating plan that works for you. The commitment was to change to a healthier lifestyle - it is OK too have an occasional meal out and eat whatever I want, but then back to the routine.
Just do a search for “Burger of the Gods”, an Alton Brown recipe.
In essence, you buy about a half pound of chuck and a half pound of sirlion. Cut the meat into 1-1/2” cubes, and if you don’t have a meatgrinder, run the cubed meat in seperate batches in a food processor for ten pulses of one second each. Combine the now ground meat with a half teaspoon kosher salt, then form four patties about 3/4” thick. Don’t overwork the meat, just handle it enough to mix and form the patties. I put a little indent in the center because that keeps ‘em uniform as they cook.
Heat up a cast iron skillet for three minutes on medium high, cook burgers for four minutes a side, don’t press them and flip only once. Give the patties room, about two inches all around, so if you want all four to be done at once you may need two skillets. If you want medium instead of medium rare, go five minutes a side. Expect some smoke while they cook.
Let rest for two minutes before serving.
No oil needed. These burgers are amazingly good.
Mmmmm....sounds good. So what’s in the cheese bread?
My local Piggly Wiggly deli makes them. It looks like just shredded cheddar baked into buns.
I was watching Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsay once gave out a tasty-sounding burger recipe but I couldn't get to the DVR fast enough.
Try this recipe...
http://www.food.com/recipe/juicy-hamburgers-98993
I like to through in about a tablespoon of bacon grease to the meat mixture.
Amazingly moist!
I quit eating that crap a few years ago, I won’t even eat in the average restaurant or chain dinner house. I know for a fact I can make better food at home, and cheaper.
Get a freezer, find a small meat processing plant and ask to buy a whole cow/goat/lamb/pig, or portions there of, that has been raised by real people on a real farm. They will hook you up. Or find a meat CSA. It is a bit of an investment, but it is cheaper in long run.
A very funny story I heard YEARS ago was about a time when a tourist entered a Lotaburger in the little town of Pojoaque (po-wok-ee), New Mexico.
The tourist, unfamiliar with some of the uniquely pronounced towns in our state asked the clerk at the register, “How do you pronounce this place anyway?”
She answered, “LOT-AH-BUR-GER”
Back in the early ‘90s, when I was just a kid, my family used to order Little Caesar for our “pizza night”. However, my parents stopped ordering from them when they changed their pizza formula around that time.
The best food is grass fed beef cooked at home. It’s healthy, has omega-3s, and DELICIOUS. Also free range organic chicken, roasted. It’s how meat is SUPPOSED to taste.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.