Gourmet Burgers

I never thought about posting about my “gourmet” burgers before. I always thought burgers were kind of standard. However, on that note, one of you asked me how I turn my burgers from just plain burgers into gourmet burgers, following my post about Noah making his gourmet burgers. So …. just for you, my gourmet burgers. 🙂

The word gourmet means different things to different people. But to me, the word gourmet means choosing top-quality ingredients, being creative in the kitchen, and creating a memorable dining experience. It turns regular meals into something special, showing off the art of great cooking. The word gourmet can also mean using rare or luxurious ingredients and is served in an upscale setting, but that is NOT me at all. Gourmet ingredients are known for their superior quality, unique flavors, and ability to elevate even the simplest of dishes to a whole new level. A gourmand is someone who appreciates good food and drink. I would say I am both a gourmet and a gourmand. 🙂

I DO NOT shy away from BIG, BOLD flavors, in fact, just the opposite. I embrace them. I LOVE BIG, BOLD flavors. My cooking choices mirror my personality. I have a BIG, BOLD personality too. I use a lot of garlic, onions, and peppers in just about everything I cook, all of which are known for their BIG, BOLD characteristics.

When I make my burgers, I start with good, quality lean beef. Then I start adding all kinds of goodies into the meat and just mix them up. Most of the time I use, garlic, onions, roasted Hatch peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and salt & pepper. I had some cooked bacon and green onions left over that I also added to my ground beef, though usually I top my burger with bacon strips instead.

I use ample portions of all my “mixers” too. I find the best way to mix my burgers up is by hand. So I really get in there and mash it all together well.

Once everything is mixed together well, then I form my burgers into patties. I don’t measure anything when cooking (though baking is a totally different story). I make my patties about 1/3 lb each.

When the patties were made, I slapped them on a hot grill and cooked them to a nice medium, with just a hint of pink still left inside. As the burgers were cooking, I sliced some onions and mushrooms and sauteed them in a little olive oil and butter and salt & pepper.

Not only do I like to use all kinds of fresh ingredients for my burgers, but I get good buns too. I like to get the onion brioche buns. If you are going all out on the burgers, then you need to go all out on the buns too. Once everything is cooked, the assembly process begins. I like 1000 Island on my burgers, so I add a bit on both sides of the bun, add my burger (sometimes with jalapeno jack cheese, sometimes not), bacon, mushrooms and onions, sometimes avocado, sometimes not, fry up some French fries, and my burger is complete, ready to eat.

Like with anything, there is NEVER just one way to make anything. The most important thing when cooking is to cook things the way YOU like to eat them. Create your own unique style.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.