“The Simple Man” Burger

Josh’s “The Simple Man” entry was a solid entry in the Burger-Palooza contest. It was in my top 3 and was Dan’s top pick. Josh used The Blue Label Burger Blend recipe posted by J. Kenji Lopez-alt on Serious Eat’s. Josh wins for most involved meat prep. 😉

Ingredients – (serves 1 pound of burger meat)
6 ounces beef sirloin, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1-inch cubes
5 ounces beef brisket, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1 inch cubes
12 ounces oxtail, fat and meat carefully removed from bone and trimmed of silverskin, bones discarded or reserved for another use (about 5 ounces of combined meat and fat)

Directions if using a meat grinder:

• Place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die of meat grinder in freezer until well chilled. Meanwhile, place meat chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.
• Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Grind meat and refrigerate immediately until ready for use. Handle as gently as possible.

Directions if using a food processor:

• Place bowl and blade of food processor in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece, and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.
• Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Working in two batches, place meat cubes in food processor and pulse until medium-fine grind is achieved, about 8 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down processor bowl as necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use

Josh’s instructions for cooking and building the burger:

1. Form patties from blue label blend – season well with salt and pepper
2. Cook patties in cast iron skillet with a small amount of oil
3. When nearing doneness, add 1 slice “Kraft Singles” to each patty
4. Place on toasted bun, dressed with mayo and ketchup
5. Serve immediately

Josh was in the first group – I hadn’t quite decided how pictures where going to go, so I only ended up getting one shot of his fabulous burger. I loved how the cheese just oozed right into the beef, it truly was a simple burger with sophisticated flavor. I loved that the grind was loose and that the meat just crumbled with every bite. Not sure I’m down for boning my own oxtail (Josh even said it was hard), but who knows… I’ve tried a lot of things through this blog that I would have never thought possible. If you have any questions for Josh, ask away in comments.

Awesome burger Josh!