CHOPPED STEAK CHEESEBURGER WITH BACON AND ONIONS
MAKES 1 BURGER
Eating a cheeseburger with hand-chopped beef (instead of ground beef) is like having a hundred tiny steaks stuck together in a loose harmony of unctuousness. Miraculously, the meat will stick together almost as well as a finer grind (because meat proteins, and the enzymes that accompany them, are sticky), giving you a burger that simply outclasses all pretenders. The cheese melts its way into the looser texture of the patty, and more fat remains in the food, instead of on the coals or in the pan, which means your burger is juicier, can be made thicker, and has a way better chance of developing a tasty, crispier crust. The mustard I tell you about here will make this uber-burger even more mind blowing.
3 STRIPS BACON
1 MEDIUM ONION, SLICED INTO THIN ROUNDS
6 OUNCES FATTY CHUCK STEAK, FROZEN UNTIL MEAT BEGINS TO CRYSTALLIZE BUT IS NOT YET SOLID
GOOD MELTING CHEESE (MEDIUM-OLD CHEDDAR OR GRUYÈRE), SHREDDED
THE NICEST SOFT BUN YOU CAN FIND
IN A DRY FRYING PAN, fry bacon until medium crisp. Transfer to a plate lined in paper towel. Pour excess fat from pan into a coffee cup, ramekin, or other heatproof vessel, reserving a little to fry onions.
IN THE SAME PAN over medium heat, fry onion until soft and golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel.
USING A SHARP KNIFE, cut your partially frozen, fatty chuck into 1/4-inch strips. Chop those strips into 1/4-inch pieces (or smaller). Chop 1 strip bacon into bits and add to chopped chuck. Using your hands, mix everything together and form into 1/2-inch-thick patty.
HEAT THE SAME PAN over medium-high heat. Press the patty gently onto the surface of the pan (some bits of meat may fall away from the patty, but that’s okay; it all goes on the bun). Cook for 3 minutes or until the patty is appropriately dark and crusted, then flip over. Place grated cheese on top and let melt as your patty continues to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes to medium, or above 135°F.
SERVE cheesy chopped steak in your soft bun garnished with remaining 2 strips of bacon and fried onions.
CHOPPING YOUR OWN BEEF
Chopping your own beef gives you the opportunity to choose exactly what goes into your patty. My favourite beef for hand chopping is fatty chuck because of its bold beefy flavour and ample, soft fat. Brisket and short rib work well, too. The trick to good chopping: use partially frozen meat, large pieces (as in, a whole piece of steak), and a heavy, sharp knife. Cleavers are great, and a chef’s knife will do just fine. The process makes a bit of a mess, but what the taste and texture does to the pleasure centre of your brain makes everything okay. Once you chop your own beef, there is no going back.