Hamburger!

With autumn at the door, it's time to look back on all the different exotic BBQs I tried last summer. Probably one of the most quintessential North-American dishes is the hamburger. But fast food chains have given this meaty sandwich a bad rep. But when done well, this is almost as good as any steak.

My basic recipe is:

• ground chuck (medium-lean, you need this for a juicy hamburger) Any decent butcher grinds his beef in his fridge only when ordered. This makes it safe to cook medium-rare too.
• Chopped onions
• Chopped parsley
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dijon Mustard
• Ketchup
• Thai Fish Sauce (fear not, this stuff is filled with umami and will bring out the beefy flavour)
  
• S & P

Mix all the ingredients with a spoon. Form patties with your (wet) hands. Let rest in the fridge for an hour. Before grilling (BBQ or pan), submerge in ice water for 30sec. Only flip your burgers once. The least you touch'm, the better. Do not squeeze them to speed up the cooking process, they will only dry out. Do not cook them past medium, you want a juicy burger, not a hockey puck! When done grilling wrap in thin foil and let rest for a couple of minutes. (as you would do for any piece of meat)
Prepare your buns and toppings and serve (I like to use ciabatta bread, bacon, arugula, tomatoes, grilled red onions, aged cheddar, grilled shitake, ketchup, Dijon and a pickle.)

The burger featured in the picture is a mooseburger. I handchopped a moose steak with bacon (venison is very lean, so you need some fat to keep the burger juicy), chives, garlic and onions.