Making a Local Burger

Good morning!

First off, I’d just like to draw your attention again to our new “Favorites” page, found in the navigation bar at the top of the blog, just under the logo. We’re hoping this comes in handy on nights when you just don’t know what to make for dinner or what to bring to the office the next day for treat. As always, always feel free to let us know what you think and how we can make DC easier for you to use!

onionandpepper

Now, if you follow our tweets, then you may have seen me mention that on Saturday I went to a really neat gourmet store/cafe in Charlottesville called Feast! Almost all the food is local. Feast’s mission connects “local farmers, artisan food producers and consumers by specifically sourcing and endorsing hand-made, local and seasonal foods that sustain the viability of farmland and family-owned food businesses.”

groundchuck

So Morgan and I allowed ourselves to indulge a little, and we bought some basil pesto, fancy cheese, & apples. This week I’ll be experimenting with using that cheese, called Red Dragon. Red Dragon is a creamy cheddar made from cow’s milk, containing Welsh brown ale and brown mustard seeds. There’s a bit of horseradish flavor to it; it’s definitely spicy with some good bite (read more about it here, here or here).

reddragon

I’ve praised Ray’s Hell Burger in Northern Virginia here before – and what makes them stand out is the amazing quality of their ingredients. A burger is a simple thing, but quality beef, unique cheeses and a “just right” bun really makes a difference. Morgan and I used a few slices of the Red Dragon cheese we bought, as well as a pound of local ground chuck. The result was amazing.

slice

We try not to be big beef eaters, so we figure if you’re going to make a burger, you may as well make it the best burger. I cut up some green pepper and onion, also bought at the farmer’s market – keeping with our local theme, and threw them into the patties. Check out some of your local markets soon, and get ready to taste an amazing burger!

burger

Making a Local Burger

1 pound local ground chuck
1 medium-small farmer’s market green pepper
1 medium-small farmer’s market yellow onion
small block of local cheese (something with bite, like Red Dragon)
6 hamburger buns (gasp, we didn’t go local here!)
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon Nature’s Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
dash paprika

Heat a grill pan on medium heat (we don’t have an actual grill, so if you do – go for it!). Dice green pepper and onion and set aside. Add ground chuck to a medium size bowl and combine green pepper, onion, egg and spices. Mix thoroughly with hands. When spices are fully incorporated, form into 6 medium size patties.

Add a small amount of oil to the grill pan and add patties two at a time, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side (8-10 minutes total), until desired doneness is reached. Enjoy!

Kitchen Tips: How Grills Heat

Ah, the wonders of summer and the great weather it brings. This weekend is looking pretty good and with good weather comes grilling. But did you ever stop to wonder how grilling works? How it cooks your food? (No? Well, see you Monday then!) How your delicious burger is born in fire?!?!?! Well, wonder no more!

Whether it be charcoal or gas, a grill cooks your food with three kinds of heat transference: conduction, convection and radiant heat. Conduction is your most straight forward. Science 101 states that heat makes molecules move faster. The faster they move, the more often they bump into other molecules, transferring heat to them. This is called conduction. Your metal grating in your grill that you rest the food on is a great conductor; heat transfers through it all very quickly. Your food, however, is not such a great conductor. This is why you always preheat you grill. That initial contact of meat with metal is a burst of energy, forcing heat in deeply and quickly. The outside of the meat continues to receive most of the heat, passing it slowly inside. This is why you can have a steak with a thick crust and a rare interior (mmmm).

Convection is the transfer of heat through the air, but in a special way. The heating of he air molecules in a closed girl causes air circulation. As the molecules heat, they rise, cooking the meat and forcing the colder molecules down to be heated by the fire. This rotation of air is not a primary method of cooking, but it does account for part of it; especially in indirect grilling.

Radiant heat is your tricky one. This heat actually never touches the food. (crazy, right?) It’s infrared energy. Think about the sun and how it can still warm you on a cold day. It’s not heating you through conduction because the air around you is still cold, and yet warmth it’s providing.

So in short, the flow of heat from the the fire to the meat is radiant heat, the heating of the grating (and then the direct heating of the meat) is conduction and the heating of the surface of the meat is a combination of conduction, radiant heat and convection. Got it? Happy grilling!