Burgers aren’t just for a fun Summertime barbeque; burgers are good any time. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, I love burgers, I love them all. I was Dr. Seuss in a past life.
Burger wars are kind of like pizza wars here in New Jersey, people like what they like, and they will tell you why their burger choice is better than yours. Let’s face it, burgers and pizza tastes are subjective and Jersey folks like to fight about it.
To make the juiciest, most flavorful burgers, I read that ground beef which is 70 percent lean and 30 percent fat is the way to go. For a burger that is a tad more healthful, but still nice and juicy, choose ground beef that is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat.
I know there are a million different choices when it comes to protein, but I’m going to keep it simple. Maybe I’ll get more creative in a future article.
I like my burgers medium well, while my mother liked hers rare. So rare, that I thought that hunk of meat was going to get up and walk off the plate.
Some people like their burgers super thick, I’m talking so thick, it could double as a slice of meatloaf.
Some folks like them paper thin. These days, they call the super thin burgers “smash burgers”, they’ve been a big trend for over a decade now.
Smash burgers aren’t really that new, they’ve been around longer than I’ve been alive.
Back in 2007, a couple of fast-food industry guys marketed the really thin flat-top burger and gave it a name, and opened the fast-food chain, “Smashburger.”
I remember my grandpa Jack taking me to the local luncheonette on a Brooklyn street corner and watching the guy manning the griddle making these sloppy-looking thin beef patties loaded with onions and smashing them down with a metal spatula. To me, that was the original smash burger.
I am an observer of people, so much so, it heads into minutiae territory. I am a naturally curious soul and I ask a lot of questions about a lot of different subjects. So, I made my way around to the offices and studios of Beasley Media New Jersey in Manahawkin to ask several of my colleagues where they get their favorite burgers.
Here’s who weighed in:
