Big fat juicy burger with caramelized onions, melted cheese, and a toasted hard roll

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It’s been put into what I call triage testing. I’m re-testing it, and my revised version will go to my recipe testers. The recipe will return to the site only if it is 100% bulletproof. It must work; it must not be vague or confusing, or in any way open to misinterpretation. Because this is one hell of an expensive recipe, I refuse to let your July 4th celebration—or grilling session—be ruined.

If the recipe makes it through the gauntlet of triage testing, it will be back on the site by the end of July.

I hope you understand. In the meantime, you came here for burgers, well, here are burgers!

Chow,

David Leite's handwritten signature of "David."

Burger Mania

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About David Leite

I’ve received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. I’m the author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana. For more than 25 years, I’ve been developing and testing recipes for my site, my books, and publications. My work has also appeared in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and more. I’m also a cooking teacher, memoirist, and inveterate cat lady.

Read More About Me

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27 Comments

  1. I spent a lot on the meat and currently have it all in the refrigerator to make them tomorrow. I wish there was a video for this as the grinding steps are a bit confusing…at least for me. Thank you

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the feedback, Timothy. We can certainly look at putting a video together or providing some step photos to make it clearer. Is there anything in the directions that I can clarify for you?

      Reply

      1. I am fine until I begin grinding and making the parallel logs. The grinder has it come out in a pile. I just think a brief you tube showing the entire process would be very helpful. I am a big fan of this
        website. Thank you.

        Reply

        1. I can see how this is confusing, Timothy. To get parallel logs, you’ll need to be moving the plastic wrap along as you go. One big pile is fine too, as long as you’ve got enough space on your plastic wrap to contain it all. Alternatively, you can grind it all into one large bowl, and then transfer it to your plastic wrap to shape the log.

          Reply

          1. I understand. I did take the mound of meat and gently formed it into two logs which I then put together to form one larger log and wrapped that in plastic. I try not to handle ground beef very much so not to make it tough. I am anxious to try a burger!

          2. I hope you love them as much as I do, Timothy. I’m looking forward to hear what you think!

  2. I’ve read the recipe and reviews and see that you call for 11 pounds of meat to purchase, but the recipe and reviews mention 7 pounds with 1.5 pounds fat. Is 11 pounds before trim accurate? I want to get it right. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Dani, yes, 11 pounds before trim is accurate. You may end up with a little more or a little less than 7 pounds of meat depending on how much you trim. And you will likely have quite a bit more than 1 1/2 pounds of fat, but you will only need to use about 1 1/2 pounds of it.

      Reply

  3. I just made this recipe and there is way too much salt for 7 or even a total of 8.5lbs (with fat) of meat, did the math and it works out to 5 g of salt per 6 oz or 170 g burger. Now I have a bunch of way over-salted burgers to serve my guests tonight. One-half cup of kosher salt is 126 g, and I used even less than this. Should have done the math beforehand. ATK’s burger recipes have about a 1 g or so per 6 oz. Thanks a lot, Dave 🙁

    Reply

    1. Giacinto, I am so sorry to hear this. We didn’t have problems with any of our testers. May I ask what brand of salt you used? Morton salt weight 124 grams per 1/2 cup. Diamond salt weighs 90 grams per half cup.

      Did you let the meat rest for two days before grinding as the recipe says? That would draw moisture out of the meat and make it less salty. Also, the salt may disperse a bit when you grill the burgers.

      I don’t understand how ATK uses 1 g of salt per burger. That is 0.0353 ounces. That’s not even a pinch. Can you direct me to the recipe? (I subscribe to all of their sites.) When I checked, I saw small amounts of salt in some recipes, but they include other salt-heavy ingredients, such as soy or Worcestershire sauces. Please get back to me.

      Reply

      1. This recipe is a lot of work but worth it. Just make sure to weigh your salt. I used a total of 115gm of table salt which made the burgers too salty, but when dressed it was not as apparent to taste as the sample patty I fried up. Will use 60gm next time I make it.

        Reply