|
[1] What’s different about this double burger, garnished with bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickles? A layer of mashed potatoes (photo © Idaho Potato Commission)!
[2] Ditch the carbs: Add your burger to a mixed salad, lightly tossed in vinaigrette (photo © 5 Napkin Burger).
[3] When you can’t decide between a cheeseburger and a fried egg sandwich with ham (photo © Chad Montano | Unsplash).
[4] For the richest, most flavorful burger, try brisket or short rib (photo of brisket burger © Omaha Steaks).
|
|
May 28th is National Hamburger Day. It’s also National Brisket Day, which is a coincidence, since brisket makes a delicious burger.
The best cuts of beef for your burger follow, but first:
> The history of the hamburger.
> 40+ different toppings for hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken/turkey burgers, and veggieburgers.
> Tips to make a better burger.
> The year’s 11+ burger holidays are below. below
WHAT’S THE BEST CUT OF BEEF FOR YOUR BURGER?
Different chefs and grilling experts have their preferred choices of beef cuts and blend proportions. You can try different cuts and blends to see what works for you.
In fact, it’s a fun activity for Memorial Day Weekend or other “grilling” holiday.
Conventional beef cuts for grinding into burgers include:
Brisket. A very beefy flavor and high fat content make brisket a deliciously rich burger. It’s also an expensive cut, so most people will blend it with a more affordable cut(s).
Boneless Short Rib. Another cut with rich flavor and fat content, short rib, like brisket, is pricey. But blend it with chuck or sirloin for a very juicy, flavorful burger.
Chuck. The most commonly used cut of beef in burgers and blends, chuck is well marbled with a good lean-to-fat ratio. While many home cooks make all-chuck burgers, chefs like to add flavor and richness by blending chuck with one or two other cuts of beef.
Hanger Steak, Flank Steak & Skirt Steak. Hanger steak and skirt steak are cut from different parts of the diaphragm or plate, which is in the upper belly of the steer. The hanger steak is considered more flavorful, resembling flank steak in texture and flavor. Flank steak is cut from the abdomen.
Sirloin or Tri-Tip. Tri-tip is cut from the bottom part of the sirloin, whereas sirloin tip comes from the top part). They are relatively lean cuts of steak, but with a good amount of flavor. Offset the leanness with another cut of beef that has a higher fat content: brisket, chuck or short rib, e.g.
Round. Round is extremely lean and a less expensive cut. It’s a good choice for people who want the lowest-fat-content burger.
Where are all of these cuts located on the steer?
Check out the chart in our Beef Glossary, which also explains the different cuts of beef.
WHAT ABOUT WAGYU?
Also called American Kobe, Wagyu—for any purpose—is for those who have deeper pockets. Would you use it to make a wagyu burger?
According to Lone Mountain Wagyu, a purveyor of wagyu beef:
The quality of Wagyu beef ensures you’ll have the ultimate burger, one that’s so buttery, rich, and fantastically textured that it may ruin you for other burgers. Take the risk.
Here’s their article on cooking wagyu beef burgers.
WHAT ABOUT GARNISHES?
YouGov, an online community, polled more than 9,000 Americans to ask about their preferred burger toppings.
The graphic is below, but allow us to take exception:
Hot sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard are not toppings. They’re condiments!
A condiment is a sauce, spice or other flavor enhancer that is added to food after cooking.
A second note: Each survey comprises a different group of people whose demographics and psychographics will invariably differ.
Thus, so will the survey results.
On to the results of this one in the chart. The year’s 11+ burger holidays are below.
|
THE YEAR’S 11 BURGER HOLIDAYS
February 24: National Steakburger Day
May: National Hamburger Month
May, 2nd Full Week: National Hamburger Week
May 28: National/International Hamburger Day (also called National Beef Burger Day)
June 5: National Veggie Burger Day
June 15: National Big Boy Day
August 8: National Whataburger Day
August, Last Thursday: National Burger Day/Mr. Hyde National Burger Day* (UK)
September 15: National Double Cheeseburger Day
September 18: National Cheeseburger Day
October 10: World Plant-Based Burger Day
Plus 12 Related Holidays
February 1-7: Shape Up With Pickles Time
February, 2nd Full Week: Pickle Time Week
June 5: National Ketchup Day
June 22: National Onion Rings Day
July: National Grilling Month
July, 2nd Friday: National French Fry Day
July 21: National Junk Food Day
July 24: National Drive—Through Day
August, 1st Saturday: National Mustard Day
October 25: National Greasy Foods Day
November 14: National Pickle Day
November 16: National Fast Food Day
________________
*Mr. Hyde was a lifestyle email newsletter for career men, launched in 2012 in the U.K. In 2013, they launched National Burger Day, which is celebrated on the last Thursday in August. It was established as a promotion to celebrate burgers and all the places that make them. Although the Mr. Hyde email has closed, the burger holiday has become quite popular. Venues offer discounts and other promotions, and burger enthusiasts celebrate.
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.
|
