Burgers are like puppies. If you don’t like them then you must not have a soul. The possibilities and combinations are endless between the of choices of meat, cheese, toppings, buns, and sides. It is literally impossible for one to not find something they would kill for. You can go healthy, fatty, light, heavy, big, small, fishy, gamey, simple, or complicated. Meats include buffalo, venison, kangaroo, turkey, elk, lamb, salmon, veggie, or the classic hamburger made of ground beef. To be American or really just human at all, you must have some love for burgers. They are not just simply a meal, but actually an experience.
The term hamburger originally derives from Hamburg, Germany. With countless claims to the innovation of the hamburger, national recognition to this great American classic can be traced to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair when the New York Tribune namelessly attributed the hamburger as, “the innovation of a food vendor on the pike.” However, the fast-food chain White Castle believes Otto Kuase of Germany invented the sandwich when in 1891 he created a beef patty cooked in butter, topped with a fried egg. Though the origin of this popular dish remains unclear, it is known that consumption really took off in the early 1900s as roadside stands popped up near factories and big business corners serving ground-up patties with little association to quality, consistency, and hygiene.
It was in 1916 then that Walter Anderson of White Castle developed the techniques of cooking the burger on a very hot griddle to keep the juices in, flattening the patty with the back of a spatula and replacing sliced bread with a specially designed white bun to soak up the juices. The success of the White Castle hamburger chains in the 1920s and 1930s propelled the hamburger’s popularity across the nation like a tsunami. Due to anti-German sentiment in the U.S. during World War I, White Castle chose to name their burgers Salisbury steaks and later marketed them as sliders. Later in 1940, the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants popped up in San Bernardino, California. Now established in 119 countries and territories, McDonald’s has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the American way of life. The chain actually began as a barbecue restaurant, but reorganized as a hamburger stand in 1948. It’s most popular hamburger the Big Mac is one of the world’s top-selling hamburger with an estimated 550 million sold annually in just the Unites States.
Now a days burger can be found on almost any street corner. A common menu item that restaurants like to put their own quirky spin on, the burger is a symbol of family time, American pride, summer time, and sporting events. You can’t go to a backyard cookout, tailgate, or Fourth of July celebration without hearing the sizzle of patties on the grill or seeing a loaded picnic table of build-your-own sandwich condiments. Compared to other American staples such as the hotdog, apple pie, or fried chicken, the hamburger reigns supreme because nothing says God Bless America more than a big ‘ole juicy burger. Even vegetarians are part of the tradition as they have the option of tofu, black bean, lentils, portobellos, and more.
According to A Hamburger Today, Americans see the perfect burger as less than 1/2 inch thick, 5 ounces, medium rare beef, and grilled. Toppings include American cheese, ketchup, yellow mustard, bacon, lettuce, and tomato on a toasted and buttered potato roll. The ideal pairing would be a beer and side of fries. Though nothing can beat the original patty with cheese, pickles, ketchup, and sesame seed bun, connoisseurs are looking for more exotic tastes and experiences these days. Options including anything from bleu cheese crumbles to wasabi paste to mango salsa would seem almost unnatural to early inventors, but are expected these days if restaurants want to stay alive in the constant battle for the best burger. Patties wrapped in bacon or stuffed with extra cheese are normal and maybe even seen as mediocre to some. Cooks are constantly trying to up the ante to meet customer wants and expectations.
So what’s the perfect burger for me? I like my buns big, soft, fluffy, and toasted. Preferably the sesame seed or whole wheat buns because I enjoy the crunch and change in texture the seeds add to the top. I like the combination of brisket and chuck for the patty. The fat from the brisket holds the meat together well and brings a whole lot of buttery flavor, moisture, and crispiness to the party. It’s not the leanest, but burgers aren’t meant to be diet food or eaten everyday, so go big or go home. Now I will say I recently had a buffalo burger, which are known to have less cholesterol, fat, and calories than even a chicken burger and it was off the chain. It had a nice gamey taste to it and still held a juicy bite throughout. Moving on, the burger should be a medium-rare pink on the inside with a nice outer char. Seasoning is crucial and should be kept as simple as possible with just some salt and pepper, so that you actually get the taste of the meat.
Condiments should only serve as amplifiers not overpower the star of the show: the meat. First up are the pickles, which should always have a crunch to them. Though I love me some bread and butter pickles, sour are actually the best to offset the sweetness of the ketchup and bun. Next is the cheese. Cheddar cheese is my go to as it adds a kick of flavor regular American doesn’t, but doesn’t make it overkill. It melts nicely over the meat as well. As if I haven’t said it enough, simplicity is the way to go, but let’s be real…it is extremely hard to not go crazy with all the fun and exciting options out there now. Lettuce and tomato are classic and always a must for me. I like to mix it up with caramelized onions, avocado, mushrooms, a fried egg, arugula and maybe even some pesto on occasions. Served with some crispy fries and a large cookies ‘n creme milkshake, I am drooling just thinking about it.
There is no better feeling than wrapping your fingers around this large sandwich often too big for your mouth, doing a couple head dodges as you choose your best plan of attack for the initial bite, and taking no mercy as you sick your teeth through each distinct layer. The meat juice will run down your hands and toppings will find their way on to the corner of your mouth as well as your clothes, but no one judges. This is what a burger is all about. A meal that really appeals to people of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and cultures, the hamburger or more often cheeseburger is a classic American dish that brings to light childhood memories as well as current family traditions. It’s one of those meals that could solve world peace, it’s that good. You know those “OH YEAH, MMM MMM GOOD, GOTTA HAVE IT, GET IN MY BELLY, HIT THE SPOT, FOODIE COMA HEAVEN” kind of moments? Well, a burger is exactly that.
Bodden Bites 