Best Big Burgers

[tommy]

microwaving isn't the same.

Maybe so, but in principle, it's not that different.

microwaves are just as much a radiant energy as light and heat. so in that regard, irradiating your beef isn't much unlike putting your burger on the counter and turning on the lights.

not to be pedantic or anything.

seriously though, i think there are some important differences btwn the two processes. now i have to go look them up.

[finker99]

As far as I know there are no exceptions to the 160 degree rule in NJ irradiated or not. As far as Radiating meat went, we had a "green" guy in my cooking school block my first year who for his main paper wrote it on irradiating food, I don't recall the details, but i know he went in ready to tear appart the whole irradiation idea and came away with the belief that irradiation appears to be harmless and beneficial. I don't see any real down side to the whole issue, it does kill the bacteria and does help the meat last a little longer which as a restaurant owner is a great thing, as a consumer.... being a relatively healthy 30 year old working in food service I don't worry too much about food poisening(BY THIS I MEAN MY SELF IN MY PERSONAL EATING, NOT MY CUSTOMERS AND MY PROFFESIONAL COOKING),

I'll eat Jamaican Beef Patties off the grungiest truck, just because they are usually the best. The worst that will PROBABLY happen is that the meat that didn't agree with me may take the express way through and that will be that, if I wind up having kids or if my health doesn't stay what it is I would either grind the meat myself or probably just cook the meat well, irradiated or not because even irradiated meat can be cross contaminated or left around for too long.

So in the end it comes back to: do you trust your butcher? If he is grinding his beef daily and you use it within the first day or so you should not develop any illness, irradiated or not. It is when the meat has time to sit around that the bacteria multiply to dangerous levels.

With irradiated meat it is ground, irradiated and packed at the plant and then shipped to the markets. Irradiation is more of a benifit for the packers in that they can centralize their opperations and ship their meat with greater confidence that it will not breed bacteria during shipping. This also in theory gives the goverment more control over inspections because there would be less processing facilities. BUT none of this would really be an issue if the packers practiced more sanitary methods in there raising, slaughtering and butchering of cows, read Fast Food Nation (I don't recall the author) for a look into this part of the industry, but carefull you may never pick up a burger again. (So sorry this is a long and rambling post, but I just do this stream of conciousness and I will be wrapping it up soon)

If you are truely paranoid about ecoli insist on FRESH ground beef or grind it yourself and you will not have to worry about ecoli, irradiated or not.

The elderly and young children, just cook the heck out of it. The odds are long, but a few ecoli that would barely make most of us burp could kill a 75 year old man or a young child and that is the main reason for all of these laws regulating the cooking of ground beef.

Side note: food service profesionals have been shown to develop a resistance to foodborn illnesses because of all the time they spend around the bacteria in their day to day work.

I Retain the Right To Condradict Myself

You May Return To What You Were Doing

Fink

[ngatti]

And a question to Fink and Nick, though he's in SF--do you have the option of buying irradiated beef if you want to and serve it rare or medium rare--or is the NJ statute locked into a temperature and the inspectors "don't know nothing 'bout no irradiation?"

I don't think there's a law here about temperature. I buy freshly ground beef from my butcher. He grinds it day of delivery. I purchase in 10 pound bags and make 8-9 ounce burgers the day it comes in. The burgers are then frozen and slacked out daily for service. Those not sold end up as staff meal.

Burgers aren't a large part of my ala carte business, so this method works for me.

Volume burgers for events such as a club barb-que are purchased freshly made in 6 oz. patties. I just purchased 240 of these for Mondays bar-b-que. Mine are a high fat content burger (I like the flavor). These are CRY-O-VAC'ed after grinding so they are supposed to last up to three weeks. I use them within 1. The brand is M&W. Not a bad burger, tastewise.

I haven't made a decision about irradiated beef yet. Isn't there a thread in Cooking with a good reference to a recent Gastronomica article?

Smoked Gouda next to the Chocolate...bright move.

Nick

[ngatti]

As far as I know there are no exceptions to the 160 degree rule in NJ irradiated or not. 

Jeez, I didn't know this was a law?!? I thought they learned their lesson with the over easy eggs debacle.

I'll risk it. We're a pretty high end private club after all. A member can have it any way he/she wants it. The law is a ass.

Go figure?(scratching head)

Nick

[tautog]

Have to agree that Barnacle Bills makes a superior large burger, 10-12 0z, cooked perfectly to order with a nice charred crust. Just have either the cheddar sauce or swiss cheese, not much on a lot of toppings myself. Only had better at Smith and Wollensky on the rare occasion when they have things on the ball of course.

[tommy]

found myself at gaffer's in west orange recently. Rosie was right about the burger. it's quite a good burger. nicely charred, not too much cheese, served with a great pickle spear and some steak fries. cooked perfectly to med-rare. just what the doctor ordered. oh man, it was good.

[thereuare]

Tommy, i too went there a few years ago on Rosie's recommendation, and was certainly pleased. Did you get their cheddar cheese sauce? I usually stay away from the "pre-fabricated melted cheese" type of products, but it seemed liked the thing to get here, and provided a good dip for my steak fries too!

[=Mark]

microwaving isn't the same.

Maybe so, but in principle, it's not that different.

It's very different. Irradiation uses ionizing radiation that destroys the DNA of living organizms, thus killing them, but does not heat or "cook" the product being irradiated.

Microwaving food simply heats the product, often in irregular patterns (which is why many have added the turntable do-hickeys). As a result, areas that do not get heated enough to kill bacteria can still be contaminated. I've read that any organizms smaller than the wavelenth of the microwaves (About 3 millimeters, the size of a small ant) are not affected by them.

[hollywood]

For a more comprehensive nationwide burger discussion....

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...=0entry156593

[tommy]

Tommy, i too went there a few years ago on Rosie's recommendation, and was certainly pleased.  Did you get their cheddar cheese sauce?  I usually stay away from the "pre-fabricated melted cheese" type of products, but it seemed liked the thing to get here, and provided a good dip for my steak fries too!

american baby. American. good pickle.

[LiquidBread]

(we are probably going to be running a shepard's pie tonight.)

(homer)mmmm... shepards pie...(/homer)

Edited November 27, 2002 by LiquidBread (log)

[hollywood]

We do not grind our own beef at Fink's, but we buy it from one of three reputable meat suppliers, Sysco, whitch maintains a HAACP chain (HAACP is the ultimate in sanitation, with independent certification and federal inspections.)  Golden Meats, who buys direct from a wholesale butcher in NYC and a local butcher who will grind our meat fresh for us.  Also, ground beef is only a burger for 24 hours here, after that is used for chili or other well done purposes (we are probably going to be running a shepard's pie tonight.)

I eat my burgers Rare to MR when I don't get sidetracked and forget it until it is well done; I also usually stick to the 1/4 pounder, but I make up for meat in toppings: Bacon, Fried Onion, Blue Cheese and Cheddar cheese and russian dressing is a favorite.

Fink

Fink's Web Site

Isn't the big problem at the chains when they mix meat and fat from different suppliers? Thus, the end product could be a burger with US, Argentine and Aussie beef/fat in it. Even if 2 out of 3 are safe, there's always #3. Sort of a world burger.

[201]

Fink currently has some damn big burgers on his daily (umm, weekly?) specials list!!

A bacon double cheeseburger made with 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 pound patties!! Unfortunately for me, I didn't see it yesterday until I had already ordered 12 wings, chili, and a half-rack of ribs... but I'm sure they could make this monster for you anytime. They're nice people like that!

Oh yeah, and that full breakfast on top of a burger that I talked about earlier in the thread? Fink and company made that dream come true too... two times, in fact!

[NJ2FLA]

You can always have SpongeBob whip you up some Crabby Patties :)

[RockADS21]

Davey's Locker, Montvale - Pub type joint with amazing big burgers. Worth making the trip to the tip of the Garden State Parkway(Exit 172) for these burgers. My personal preference - topped with swiss, taylor ham(don't call it pork roll - we are North of the Driscoll bridge!), and raw onion...

Edited November 30, 2002 by RockADS21 (log)

[nervousnelli]

The Bootlegger in Highlands has tasty big burgers and it's a great hole-in-the-wall local bar and hangout.

[TheMan,TheMyth]

Davey's Locker, Montvale - Pub type joint with amazing big burgers. Worth making the trip to the tip of the Garden State Parkway(Exit 172) for these burgers. My personal preference - topped with swiss, taylor ham(don't call it pork roll - we are North of the Driscoll bridge!), and raw onion...

Is this place open??

It seems like they have been doing renovations for the last 20 years. You would think they were restoring the Sistine Chapel.

The Man, The Myth

TapItorScrapIt.com

[Rachel Perlow]

Bringing up an old thread...

I can't believe no one else has seconded my recommendation of Charley's Aunt in Chatham. I brought Jason there a while back and he was really impressed with their burgers. Although since we are no longer local to there, we've been heading to Fink's when in a throws of a burger craving, when in the area it is definitely worth the stop.

[Rail Paul]

Bringing up an old thread...

I can't believe no one else has seconded my recommendation of Charley's Aunt in Chatham. I brought Jason there a while back and he was really impressed with their burgers. Although since we are no longer local to there, we've been heading to Fink's when in a throws of a burger craving, when in the area it is definitely worth the stop.

Six months ago, I was disappointed with the place. Burger was good, fries were fine, but the place gave me the creeps.

the room had an off smell, service was occasionally lacking, rest room was foul.

Didn't see any compelling reason to go back. Maybe they were having a bad day, maybe I was too critical. For about the same price, I can get a fine lunch at Taste Of Asia two doors away, or at the Show, fifty yards away.

Ward's Coffee Shop across the street is a wonderful place for gift baskets, fresh roasted coffee, etc, and so I get down there occasionally.

[Rachel Perlow]

I can see your points, the place definitely has a local dive feel to it. But at the same time, it isn't fair to compare it to Taste of Asia (Malasian? Nouvelle blech Chinese to me), as we're specifically talking burgers here.

[Rail Paul]

I can see your points, the place definitely has a local dive feel to it. But at the same time, it isn't fair to compare it to Taste of Asia (Malasian? Nouvelle blech Chinese to me), as we're specifically talking burgers here.

Agreed on the burgers. Poor Herbie's in Madison has better burgers than Charley's Aunt, in my opinion. Better choice of beers on tap, too.

I'm in Chatham quite a bit, so if I want lunch there, I'd put Charley's near the bottom of the list. I made the point that there are better places within a stone's throw, given how difficult parking is in Chatham.

[Rich Pawlak]

<<<<<>>>>>>

Believe it or not, there are hamburgers south of Exit 10 of the NJTP.

In Trenton, near my home, are:

Rossi's Bar & Grill

Caesere's

Good Times Tavern

All are within blocks of each other and are in the Chambersburg section of the city, and produce huge, hand-formed, carefully grilled burgers.

Rossi's is the most famous of the 3, but I actually think Good Times serves up the best of the 3. At Rossi's however, insiders are known to ask for their homemade potato chips, a stunning mountain of flawless, greaseless, hot potato chips. The huge fried zucchini sticks are also pretty impressive.

[Rachel Perlow]

Isn't Rumson south of exit 10?

[Rich Pawlak]

Isn't Rumson south of exit 10?

Uh, no.

[Rachel Perlow]

I just looked at a map and it is too, not much further south, and mostly east, but it is south of exit 10.