Burgers (Diner Style)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/dining/how-to-make-a-great-burger.html

Sam Sifton

This is the traditional, griddled hamburger of diners and takeaway spots, smashed thin and cooked crisp on its edges. It is best to cook in a heavy, cast-iron skillet slicked with oil or fat, and not on a grill. For meat, ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak, with at least a 20 percent fat content, or grind your own. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook, and try not to handle it with your fingers — use an ice-cream scoop or spoon instead. Plop down a few ounces in the pan, smash it with a spatula, salt it, let it go crisp and flip. Add cheese and get your bun toasted. The process moves quickly.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 teaspoon neutral oil, like canola, or a pat of unsalted butter

• 2 pounds ground chuck, at least 20 percent fat

• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

• 8 slices cheese (optional)

• 8 soft hamburger buns, lightly toasted

• Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and condiments, as desired

PREPARATION

1. Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat.

2. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.

3. Increase heat under skillet to high.

4. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes.

7. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over.

8. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.

9. Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer.

10. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. 

11. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.

YIELD: 4 to 8 servings