The Jalepeno Burger

One of the best burgers I have ever made, if I do say so myself.

Of course, the patty is the engine that drives the burger. If you mess up the patty, it really doesn't matter what kind of chassis you put on it; a bad patty turns a burger into, at best, a sandwich. At worst, it will tear asunder the fabric of the universe and unleash Abbadon.

A good burger must be a big burger. A half pound of beef, at least. Any less, and the burger is either too thin, or too small in diameter (in which case it is a slider). A good burger explodes with juice and flavor when you bite into it, and thin burgers can't even muster a dribble.

The patty should not be overworked -- form it quickly and keep it chilled until ready to grill. But you can season it... Oh yes... You can season it to hell and gone. For this burgerey experiment, I gently sauteed some very finely diced jalepeno and garlic, about 2 tbsp, and chilled the result, to avoid melting the fat in the beef as I mixed it in. To avoid overworking the beef, I gently crumbled the cold hamburger meat into a dish, then tossed in my seasonings: sauteed jalepeno/garlic, some paprika, sage, onion powder and salt. Then I simply hand tossed the pieces to mix a few times, then formed my patty.

When forming a luscious, big, beautiful patty, you must make a dimple in the middle. The burger will expand with juicy goodness on the grill, and if you don't make the dimple, you will wind up with a football shaped burger. A properly formed burger looks a bit like a red blood cell.