burgers+diagrams or "don't mess with my meat!"

I haven't been very up on my Diagram Wednesdays, but here's one that is definitely worth sharing--

(source)

So true, so true.

It actually brings up my next point. There has been quite a bit of buzz about the best burgers in LA. Last week, there was an article in the Downtown News as well as a (now expired) circulating coupon for a free burger from Blu Cafe, their pick for best downtown burger. Needless to say, the man and I had to go check it out.

The cafe was pretty swanky and had an exciting menu, as well as reasonably priced beer and wine and an in-house baker who makes lovely cakes. Here's a shot of our lovely free burger--

Looks tasty, huh? Yeah, I heard it was. The only criticism from the man was that the piece of cheese didn't cover the whole (half pound!) meat patty. Unfortunately, the (super friendly) waiter was not very knowledgable about what the burger may contain except that it was "seasoned." If you've read my little backstory or have eaten with me in the past few years, you know that I didn't feel comfortable eating the mystery burger. So all that is to say, I agree with the above diagram. I would much rather make a tasty burger at home. Saves a buck and is worth the effort to feel comfortable and satisfied with my burger!

fashionable meats!

Thought I should share some meat fashions that were passed along to me this week:

Meat Fabric! (Please let me know if anyone figures out where to purchase this! I see a lovely summer sundress...)

and Meat Dress! (Probably a bit perishable for summertime wear.)

Thank you and you.

burger cake!

This is probably the most beautiful cake every made, and it was allegedly purchased from Ralph's.

Photo by Kim Garcia for a friend's birthday.

liquid smoke and indoor grilling

Being a loft-dwelling stovetop grillpan griller, I'm always up for suggestions on how to make my grilled meats taste a bit more authentic. I suppose someone out there may be willing to let me use their grill in exchange for some buffalo ribs, but for everyday use, I was recently advised to check out adding a touch of liquid smoke to my dishes. Of course, my immediate response was "YUCK!" Why would I want to add artificial flavoring to something that I'm preparing myself? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of making sauces from scratch?

But liquid smoke is actually completely natural and made through a pretty interesting process. It is exactly what it sounds like - distilled smoke (usually from mesquite or hickory wood) - and is often aged in oak barrels like wine or beer. Sounds fun!




(source)

Thanks for the heads-up.

meat fact of the day:

So, I'm watching Iron Chef America: Battle Hamburger and learned a fun new meat fact from Alton Brown. I've never given much thought to Salisbury Steak. The only association I have with it is from hot lunches in elementary school. My mom always packed my lunch (thanks, mom!), so I never partook in this, but I remember the stinky, gray discs of meat with lumpy sauce in those individual cardboard containers with the holey plastic wrap over the top... I had no idea that this was perhaps a public school lunch staple because it was thought to be a health food!

James Salisbury apparently was one of the first health food advocates. He suggested eating lean ground meat and coffee three times a day, with fruits, vegetables, and starches only making up 1/3 of one's diet. According to my sources, he thought that fruits, veggies, and starches were "poisonous" to the digestive system and caused countless diseases.

Here's his recipe--

Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp should be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage.....The pulp should not be pressed too firmly together before broiling, or it will taste livery. Simply press it sufficiently to hold it together. Make the cakes from half an inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately well over a fire free from blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste with butter, pepper, salt; also use either Worcestershire or Halford sauce, mustard, horseradish or lemon juice on the meat if desired.

And, he lived to be 85.

Maybe I'll have a different outlook next time I see one of these:


Maybe.

daily burgers: finishing strong

I feel I must make some closing remarks on my burger adventure, so here goes!
Sometimes, the silliest things become quite consuming. Honestly, I'm not much of a meal planner. I've been trying to be a bit more organized since attempting a food budget, but I'm more of a pick up what you need every other day or so grocery shopper than a once a week shopper. I like to think of it as European-style or eco-friendly shopping since this allows me to walk my bags home, but I know it is actually just laziness!

That to say, it was a bit of a challenge to stay on top of my meat purchases (as it isn't realistic to run to the butcher every day!) and to plan well enough to keep my burgers interesting enough to satisfy both the man and I and make for fun pictures. I hope a few of my new found habits will stick. My burger cooking skills have grown, but sadly, I still can't replicate Morton's burgers. Perhaps a commercial grill is necessary to get the crisp inside while keeping the middle nice and pink? Also, I was pretty excited that I didn't come close to running out of ideas. I could probably make a year's worth of daily burgers! Very creatively stimulating and tummy-satisfying.

I asked my man to rank his top three burgers and I'll share mine as well. He did not eat all 31 with me (sometimes I had mine for lunch), but I'm always up for constructive criticism-- and a pat on the back!

Here are his choices:
3. Daily Burger Number Twenty-Four - Ostrich Burger with Crunchy Slaw
2. Daily Burger Number Fourteen - Lindner Bison Burger with Blackberry Sauce
1. Daily Burger Number Ten - Mini Lamburgers with Mint Oil


And here are mine:
3. Daily Burger Number Twenty-Two - Mini Chimichurri Lamburgers
2. Daily Burger Number Eight - Chicken Burger with Cranberry-Cilantro Relish
1. Daily Burger Number Twenty-Six - French Onion Soup Burger


And the unanimous least-favorite was Number Twenty-One.


Yes, the venison, cherry compote and all. The man has given up on venison, giving it one more shot in a little meat pie from Harrod's in London last week. I'm not ready to give up though. I still think that once cooked properly, it will be tasty. I've been advised to add some beef fat to the ground meat (counter-intuitive if you're choosing venison because it is so lean...) to give more flavor and keep it moist while cooking or to use it in chili or stew.

So, what's on the horizon? The next major meat event on my calendar is a butchering class in a few weeks. Surely, that will be a challenge and leave me with much inspiration-- and a giant cooler full of very fresh meat.

daily burger, number thirty-one.

Lazy Burger, protein style.

Yes, the last one.

In 'n' Out Burger, Glendale, CA, 3:12PM, May 31, 2009.

daily burger, number thirty.

Super Juicy Lamburger with lemon mint yogurt. Marinated tomato salad.

Perhaps the last burger I will be cooking for my adventure. It was mighty good though!

My kitchen, DTLA, sometime in the blur that was May 30, 2009.

the ultimate ethical meat question:

Now this is a question that demands serious thought.


accompanying photo:

Thank you, London Science Center, for making my day.

les hamburgers francais

Please forgive me, but these were the cheeseburgers I found in Paris, along with many McDonalds and Quick Burgers.

Spotted at a market outside of Gard de Nord, Paris, France, 11:52PM, May 29, 2009.

I hope you'll forgive me for choosing this instead.

From a slightly touristy cafe near Notre Dame. The meat had a very nice flavor-- I think I will have to do some research about French beef quality.

Latin Quarter, Paris, France, 10:02 PM May 29, 2009.

Will still make it to 31 burgers this month though!

daily burger, number twenty-nine.

London/Belgian burger. Looks unimpressive, but quite tasty. The waitress was super great also, speaking with the chef to make sure nothing suspicious jumped into my burger.

Belgo Noord, London, England. 5:45PM, May 29, 2009.

Excellent Belgian bar with a fabulous beer selection and happy hour... The man even got this huge platter of half-price mussels. He was impressed, and he is not easily impressed.

daily burger, number twenty-eight.

London burger, plain. Not great. Sometimes the meats just keep me going.

Sulley Pub, Covent Garden, London. 6:38PM, May 28, 2009.

carnivore chicks who blog!

Got a super fun shout-out today from lemondrop!
Check it out here!
Thanks for the love! Love you, too.

daily burger, number twenty-seven.

Chicken burger, on the run. Wrapped in leafy lettuce.

Yes, this is chicken squeezed from a previously made sausage.
My kitchen/on the street, DTLA, 12:13PM, May 27, 2009.

daily burger, number twenty-six.

French Onion Soup Burger; spiced 'n' candied orange slices.

like soup but sandwich
but with no bread for me please
tried to be clever!

p.s. so. good.

My kitchen, DTLA, 12:42PM, May 26, 2009.

daily burger, number twenty-five.

Bacon Buffalo Burger. Avocado sauce and tomato.

What more could you want??

My kitchen, DTLA, 12:24PM, May 25, 2009.

daily burger, number twenty-four.

Ostrich burger with crunchy cranberry slaw.

giant bird can't fly
we first ate at summer fair
novel sure; but great!

My kitchen, DTLA, 2:38PM, May 24, 2009.

daily burger, number twenty-three.

Friday again! Guess what we ate? Oh, you know already.
$5 Mini Prime (cheese)burgers. Yes, again, that's $5 for three.
I'm still trying to figure out what makes these so good. They allegedly just use tomato juice, salt, and pepper in their burgers, but I can't seem to make a burger quite this tasty.
Morton's Steakhouse Power Hour, DTLA, CA., 6:12pm, May 22, 2009.

hamburger month sonnet.

thirty one burgers in thirty one days
each day a different new meaty treat
fancy meal planning for the month of may
spreading meat juices is quite a feat.

week one was a test, just heating the grill
and two, more creative, i'll try harder still
three more exotic but risky until
week four brought us ostrich-- 'twas really a thrill!

mint oil fresh salsa and avocado
lettuce leaf butter and iceberg romaine
herbs salt and pepper and sliced tomato
cheese brie feta swiss but mostly just plain

now london is calling and then on to france
still finish the challenge just now in advance.

daily burger, number twenty-two.

Chimicurri Lamb Burgers. Salad with caramelized pears and parsley.

Hooked on haiku:

new zealand lamb meats
fresh herbs olives feta cheese
mouth waters for more!

My kitchen, DTLA, 7:15PM, May 21, 2009.