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Celebrate National Hamburger Day!

Up in Smoke
CELEBRATE
NATIONAL HAMBURGER DAY!

May 28th, 2013
Dear Up in Smoke Subscriber,

No doubt you enjoyed a burger or six over the long Memorial Day weekend, but don’t put down the buns just yet, because the celebration isn’t over. It’s National Hamburger Day today, May 28th!

Not that Americans require a proclamation to enjoy burgers. Half of us eat burgers at least one a week, either at home or in restaurants, which translates to several billion burgers per year. But they’re not your Daddy’s burgers: The original American hamburger concept is more than a century old, yet industry watchdogs report some exciting new trends:

    • Consumers want their burgers made with higher-quality meats than the mince associated with hamburgers’ humble origins. Terms like “grass-fed,” “Angus,” “organic,” “free range,” and “never frozen” are now part of the burger conversation.

 

    • It’s not just about beef anymore. Chicken, turkey, pork, bison, lamb, salmon, and tuna — not to mention vegetarian options like Portobello mushrooms, tofu, quinoa, and beans — have expanded the definition of what the term “burger” means.

 

    • Burgers are getting bigger: An American hamburger circa 1957 weighed less than 2 ounces and was mercilessly smashed to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Today, it’s not uncommon for the raw weight of a patty to exceed 8 ounces.

 

    • While I’m something of a purist myself, I acknowledge the growing popularity of novel toppings, add-ins, and fillings, like fried quail or duck eggs, foie gras, mac and cheese, bacon relish, caramelized onions, shredded brisket or pastrami, homemade ketchup or pickles, Korean kimchi, arugula, caviar, spicy wasabi or chipotle mayo, imported cheeses, Parmesan crisps, prosciutto, etc.

 

    • The soft, pillowy buns sold in eight-packs are being displaced in homes and restaurants by artisanal breads, rolls, and flatbreads sturdy enough to hold a hefty payload of flavorings. Most supermarkets sell diminutive buns in response to another ubiquitous burger trend, the “slider.”

 

    • Several chefs have developed über-extravagant burgers using luxury ingredients. For example, 666 Burger in New York City prices a burger with lobster, truffles, and gold leaf at, predictably, $666. In contrast, New York’s Serendipity’s $295 Japanese Wagyu beef burger, which comes with a diamond-encrusted toothpick, seems like a relative bargain.

 

  • But the height of hamburger hubris? That distinction goes to Hubert Keller of Fleur at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For many years he had a $5,000 burger on his menu–stuffed and sauced with black truffles, served on a black truffle-brioche bun, and accompanied by a vintage bottle of Château Pétrus. (At this writing, Keller appears to have taken it off.) Outrageous, huh? I’m confident no one reading this would be guilty of this kind of conspicuous consumption, but it does suggest some ways to give your burgers new cachet.

Trendy/spendy references aside, the hamburger is still America’s most famous contribution to Planet Barbecue’s grilling repertoire. Check out 12 surefire ways to build world-class burgers in your own backyard!

And of course, an homage to burgers would not be complete without my recipe for The Great American Hamburger, pictured here. Grill and eat it in honor of the almighty burger!


Photo reprinted from The Barbecue! Bible. Photo copyright © Ben Fink.
Yours in righteous grilling,
Steven Raichlen

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