Burger Toppings and Fixin's: The Topic

[FL Heat]

Ground sirloin (I just like the way it tastes better), grilled to medium-well, on a kaiser roll that's been toasted on the grill; topped with a thick slice of cheddar and just enough ketchup to coat the cheese.

Cheese & ketchup. That's it. Fresh cold lemonade on the side.

Diana

[PaoPao]

Best Burgers I ever have had are at a place called "Dicks" in Seattle. Yes, that's really the name. Anyway, they are the epitome of simple. A bun, patty, ketchup, mustard, and a few pickles. In High school I would eat lunch there every day and eat 6 of these for $3.00 . They have these greasy amazing fries as well. I think now there are all of .75 cents each.

[bleachboy]

I'm pretty much down with Holly. But, being from Texas, the best burger ever was one I used to get at some restaurant down there.

Nice thick patty, plenty of fat. Medium rare.

Regular white-bread type bun. Buttered and grilled. No sesame seeds.

Mayo on both buns -- more on the bottom bun to mingle with the burger grease.

Lots of shredded cheddar on top of the patty.

A split and grilled weiner on top of that.

Barbecue sauce on top of that.

Thin-sliced onion on top of that.

I'm drooling now.

Any fried potato product and some Southern-style cole slaw on the side.

A gigantic ice-cold soda.

[petite tête de chou]

I'm pretty much down with Holly.  But, being from Texas, the best burger ever was one I used to get at some restaurant down there.

Nice thick patty, plenty of fat.  Medium rare.

Regular white-bread type bun.  Buttered and grilled.  No sesame seeds.

Mayo on both buns -- more on the bottom bun to mingle with the burger grease.

Lots of shredded cheddar on top of the patty.

A split and grilled weiner on top of that.

Barbecue sauce on top of that.

Thin-sliced onion on top of that.

I'm drooling now.

Any fried potato product and some Southern-style cole slaw on the side.

A gigantic ice-cold soda.

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First off, your avatar is one of the best. Too funny the way the eyes blink.

Now, you put a hot dog (weiner) on your hamburger? Do you have a brand preference? Or are we talkin' Oscar Meyer or? Wow. I've never heard of that. Makes sense, tho.' If I'm grilling a few burgers for a get-together I usually throw a few weiners on the grill, too. Veeerrry interestink. Thanks for the idea.

[therdogg]

bacon, cheddar, mushrooms

i also (but not alongside the above) like thinly sliced manzanilla olives with pimiento

[MarketStEl]

Okay, here's my quirk when it comes to having the perfect burger:

I want my lettuce and tomato on the side. What I want to taste between the bun halves is only meat, condiments and cheese. And if the tomato isn't ripe and flavorful, I don't want it at all.

That said, I like this:

1/3 to 1/2 pound of ground chuck or sirloin, about 20% fat

Seasoned with a little Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and maybe onion powder or dehydrated onion before forming

Hand-formed into a ball then lightly pressed out into a patty (I'll have to try the indentation thingy)

Cooked on a grill (charcoal or countertop) over high heat, turning only once, until slightly charred on the outside and pink on the inside, or medium-rare; if you can't grill, preheat a broiler pan and put it under your oven's broiler

Topped with cheese: Extra sharp Cheddar, Cheddar-Jack, Swiss or crumbled blue cheese

Served on a soft untoasted bun

Dressed with:

Ketchup and mustard (for all cheeses except blue) or

Barbecue sauce (with Cheddar or Swiss) or

Dijon mustard alone (with blue cheese)

Served with fries on the side. (Again, I need to learn the twice-fried trick.)

[irodguy]

1/3 LB of "Hamburger Grind" I normally get this at Central Market or Whole foods both normally use a mix of meats including scrap cuts of Tenderloin.

Normally 80/20 or 85/15 depending on the type of cooking. For Pan / Oven I prefer 85/15 for Grill or smoker 80/20.

Best method is grilled over charcoal and apple wood

Topping

Fresh Shredded Sharp Cheddar

Hand Sliced Dills

Spanish Onion

Olives ** Really great

Mayo

Splash of my home made bbq sauce

Sides:

Oven Fries

Caesar Salad

Drink:

Well I shouldn't but Dublin Dr. Pepper or

Diet Dr. Browns Black Cherry Soda

[Syrah]

The best hamburgers I've ever had in my life are the ones served in Australia and are called Hamburger with the Lot. ('The lot' is the same thing as 'the works.) Starting from the bottom:

toasted bun

butter

ketchup

mustard

sliced beets (beetroot)

hamburger

egg (cooked over easy so the yolk runs)

pineapple ring

tomato slice

pickle slices

bacon

onion slice

lettuce

toasted bun with same butter, ketchup, mustard spread

This is absolutely heavenly and about the richest thing I've eaten.

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Burgers Australian Style are very good. Traditionally they do not have pickles (gherkins) as far as I have ever seen. Where did you visit? It could be a regional issue.

I only crave a burger with the lot about once a year though, normally I do without the beetroot, pineapple, egg and bacon. I am also a bit of a deviant I do not like tomato sauce (ketchup) and will use HP or nothing. It just depends.

Recently I made them and used Bush Tomato Chutney in the mince mixture. It was delicious. I will definitely do that again.

[Jinmyo]

Kimchi works very well on a burger, placed beneath the meat, a bit of Dijon atop.

[Gastro888]

Kimchi works very well on a burger, placed beneath the meat, a bit of Dijon atop.

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Really? Wouldn't it be too "wet" for the burger? I guess it would a Western verison of the bulgogi lettuce ssam you do at Korean BBQ joints.

[NulloModo]

I am not sure how it compared ot Kimchi in Korea, but the Kimchi I get at Korean grocers in the US isn't anymore wet than sauerkraut, chili, a ripe tomato, relish, or plenty of other accepted burger toppings.

[irodguy]

Then again when I think about it a good runner up to best burger would be the Caviar burger that Andrews here in Dallas used to make.

Yes I said Caviar It was a burger with chopped red onion, eggs, sour cream and black caviar. It was quite tasty!

[stephenc]

Any burger with a fried egg on top.

[Shannon_Elise]

My perfect burger:

ground buffalo, charred on the outside with a very pink center (an added bonus would be to make the patty square, don't laugh, I've grown up with Wendy's, White Castle, and Rally's, all have square burgers).

no toppings (if I even seen an onion....)

great quality Kaiser roll, buttered and toasted

Diet Dr. Pepper

[deltadoc]

Burgers Australian Style are very good. Traditionally they do not have pickles (gherkins) as far as I have ever seen. Where did you visit? It could be a regional  issue.

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I was wondering about the pickle slices in Australia too. I distinctly remember them interviewing Crocodile and he was saying about McDonald's that they should just get rid of the "cucumber slice" as everybody takes them out of the hamburger and tosses them.

I know, I'll ask my friend in Bowen and report back!

doc

Edited January 25, 2005 by deltadoc (log)

[Syrah]

Burgers Australian Style are very good. Traditionally they do not have pickles (gherkins) as far as I have ever seen. Where did you visit? It could be a regional  issue.

←

I was wondering about the pickle slices in Australia too. I distinctly remember them interviewing Crocodile and he was saying about McDonald's that they should just get rid of the "cucumber slice" as everybody takes them out of the hamburger and tosses them.

I know, I'll ask my friend in Bowen and report back!

doc

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It's really not a burger thing.. people like gherkins (we don't say pickle here) on things like a sandwich maybe.. but mostly they are like a finger food, people eat them as a snack. I like them with roast beef on a sandwich but I would not say that is a widespread Australian way of eating them.

When I do eat McDonalds I peel the pickle OFF.. it is much sweeter than an gherkin anyway.

[Gastro888]

I am not sure how it compared ot Kimchi in Korea, but the Kimchi I get at Korean grocers in the US isn't anymore wet than sauerkraut, chili, a ripe tomato, relish, or plenty of other accepted burger toppings.

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I've seen very "wet" and "dry" kimchi. I guess I was concerned about the buns getting soggy from the kimchi juice. Nothing like a nicely toasted bun on top of a perfect burger, ya know.

[Randi]

I'll be the lone voice for a no-condiment burger.

Meat (beef, 2 patties, thin enough to become slightly crispy at the edges).  Cheese (american, gooey, 2 slices).  Bun (lightly toasted). 

A good burger needs nothing else.  Let the beef shine through in all its glory.

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Guess what! You are not the lone voice. This is a duet. I am 100% in agreement with you. Give me amazing char-broiled beef and american cheese.

And if the bun sucks, I will eat it without the bun. Chances are, even a good bun might get passed over. I often take the top off and eat the burger (medium rare please) on just the meat-juice soaked bun bottom.

No toppings or condiments! Altho, like Sandy (MarketStEl) I will accept them on the side. And eat them as a side dish (pickles, tomato, lettuce, even bacon, etc.)

[CtznCane]

2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. NOT!!!

Seriously though there are 2 I would go with. Meat wise, I'd say 80-20 chuck & sirloin. I'd rather err to the side of a fattier burgert than too lean of one. Ya gotta have that fat to really get it nice and juicy. Grilled, or my preference done on the griddle. Medium rare works for me but medium to medium plus is fine too as long as it is juicy.

From there, the best I've had out (long ago gone Burnetts/New Lucky's in Oakland) was done on a soft french roll. A little bit of mayo that those juices just mingled with and moistened the bun to perfection. A little bit of lettuce of crunchy lettuce was the only other thing on the bun. Along with it though, and what really made the burgers was the compliment of the pepperoncini peppers. Normally I'm not a fan of these but this combo was heaven sent. A bite of pepper and a bite of burger.

The second type, just a nice seame seed bun or Kaiser Roll. Soft not hard. Mayo is a must. Enough to provide a good coating and transition between the meat and bun. The other essentials are crispy lettuce and Red or Bermuda onion's. No other onion works as well.

As for a side, french fries. I don't care whether they're thin or thick as long as they are crisp outside and soft inside. As for a dipping sauce for them, I prefer a combination of catsup mixed with worcestershire sauce.

For a drink. Nothing takes the place of a Malted milk shake, heavy on the malt.

What a great topic, this is certainly one that most of us have strong opinions and love hate opinions on.

[viva]

I'll be the lone voice for a no-condiment burger.

Meat (beef, 2 patties, thin enough to become slightly crispy at the edges).  Cheese (american, gooey, 2 slices).  Bun (lightly toasted). 

A good burger needs nothing else.  Let the beef shine through in all its glory.

←

Guess what! You are not the lone voice. This is a duet. I am 100% in agreement with you. Give me amazing char-broiled beef and american cheese.

And if the bun sucks, I will eat it without the bun. Chances are, even a good bun might get passed over. I often take the top off and eat the burger (medium rare please) on just the meat-juice soaked bun bottom.

No toppings or condiments! Altho, like Sandy (MarketStEl) I will accept them on the side. And eat them as a side dish (pickles, tomato, lettuce, even bacon, etc.)

←

At last! A kindred spirit. I do the same thing with the top part of the bun too, in order to get the meat-to-bread ratio a little closer to what I like. More meat than bread is definitely required!

I will, on very rare occasions, eat a patty melt, which also needs no condiment but on which I will accept the sauteed onions (not too many). Sometimes you need that buttery salty toasted rye bread.

[irodguy]

Well then again I can categorize the perfect burger as "Jamie's Hamburgers" in the Dallas of my youth. It was the burger that the original Chilis attempted to copy but did a bad job. The fellow who started Chilis had a club in the same shopping center as Jamie's.

They cooked on hickory and always got the burger just right.. I am still trying to copy it to this day.

[winesonoma]

Once and for all on Mayo: "MAYONNAISE;A cold sauce of ...etc" Larousse Gastromique 1961. Why does one put that on a burger? Warm Mayo yuck.

Edited February 1, 2005 by winesonoma (log)

[eje]

I guess I'm kind of a heretic when it comes to burgers.

Not that I am against the purist burger. However, I really like something some folks might class as "grilled meatloaf".

Current fave is: Couple cloves minced garlic, Tablespoon minced onion, 2 TBSP Bread Crumbs, 1/2 tsp. mild smoked paprika (Pimenton de la Vera, baby!), 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. oregano, salt and pepper, enough wine or beer to moisten breadcrumbs and a little olive oil. (Don't over-) Mix in 1 Pound 85% lean ground Chuck, form into 1/3 pound patties and grill to Medium-ish over searing hot mesquite coals.

In order, acceptable accessories, Bun Top, Mustard, grilled or sauteed Onions/Mushrooms, "Burger", Tomato Slice (catsup only if no decent tomatoes available), Pickle, Lechuga or Greens, Mayo, Bun Bottom.

[Kris]

80% chuck, 6 ounces raw mixed with a bit of minced onions and salt, indented in center, grilled, cooked until medium well (closer to well but not a hockey puck).

Must have a slice of cheese (American or cheddar) served on a bun (seeded or not) with Heinz ketchup and dill pickles.

[sparrowgrass]

I don't like the texture of rare hamburger, so put them on the grill and make mine well done, but still juicy. Add a nice slice (or two) of Vidalia onion, lots of salt and pepper and a good squirt of ketchup, on a sesame seed bun.

I know what's for dinner at my house tonight.