You might not have realized it, but National Cheeseburger Day is almost here! If you have dinner plans for September 18, revise them! You can eat pizza any night of the week, but National Cheeseburger Day only comes around once a year!
To get started on your meaty masterpiece, do a quick search on the Internet for “local meat Seattle” or wherever you’re located, to find seriously fresh options that are close to you. Head to the best butcher shop Seattle has to offer to pick up your beef and select supplies. Then, look up an easy-to-follow grilled hamburger recipe and get grilling!
Here are seven tips for crafting the perfect cheeseburger that will have your family and friends coming back for seconds.
If you’re going to craft the perfect cheeseburger, subpar beef just isn’t going to cut it. The local meat Seattle shop at Lady Jaye will be able to supply you with meat that’s fresh, local and grass-fed, giving you the best flavor available.
Skip your regular grocery store for such a special day. A grocery store won’t be able to tell you anything about your beef. Instead, support a local meat shop and taste the difference for yourself.
Sure, fresh meat tastes great on its own, but it tastes even better when it’s bolstered by a specialty blend of seasoning. If you don’t have a chef’s palette, consider recruiting seasoned veterans to help you pick your seasoning.
You can stop by Lady Jaye’s butcher shop to get feedback on what seasoning will make the perfect burger for you and your family. They’ll have more classic options as well as adventurous blends. Who knows, you may come home with a couple to try even after National Cheeseburger Day.
Ever wondered why some of your burgers are more cooked through than others, even though they’re going on the grill at the same time? The culprit may be that you’re making different sized patties. A thicker patty isn’t going to cook through as quickly as a small one. This can make your burgers inconsistent.
If you want to be very accurate, whip out a food scale, and measure, so each beef patty is exactly the same size. This will ensure that everyone gets the perfect burger.
If you like your burgers well done or more rare, you can usually tell by eyeing the patty while it’s cooking. Guess work isn’t necessarily the way to go if you’re trying to cook the PERFECT cheeseburger. Why leave it up to chance? Ask everyone in your party how they would like their burger cooked. From there, grab your meat thermometer and check the internal temperature.
Insert the thermometer from the side until you reach the center. For a well-done burger, remove the patty when it hits around 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. For medium-rare, shoot for 130 to 135 degrees, for medium wait until it’s 140 to 145 degrees, and for medium-well, 150 to 155. Anything below 130 degrees is rare.
Don’t forget that your burger actually continues to cook after you’ve removed it from the grill, so remove it about five degrees below your perfect temperature.
For the perfect cheeseburger, it’s best if you only flip your burger patty once. Why, you ask? Touching your burger less while it cooks preserves its juiciness!
To get the most out of your burger, let it do its thing, use a heat thermometer and try to only flip it once.
What’s the point of beautifully cooked meat if your bun is going to get soggy the second you start to construct the burger?
In order to avoid unwanted sogginess, make sure you take the extra time to toast the bun with a little butter. You’re looking for the bun to be golden brown to ensure that it’s going to keep its integrity.
Toppings are the final puzzle piece for creating the perfect cheeseburger. Your perfect cheeseburger may look different than your best friend’s in terms of toppings, so buy several options if you’re cooking for a crowd. Remember, you can’t go wrong with bacon.
If you’re not feeling like making your own burger for National Cheeseburger Day, join us at Lady Jaye’s for the perfect cheeseburger that you won’t need to lift a finger to create.
On your way out, swing by the best butcher shop Seattle has for more burger tips.
Stay in the know on all things cuts and cocktails.
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