Bobby Flay’s secret to a great ‘Jersey’ hamburger

What goes in a great burger? According to Bobby Flay who's celebrating 10 years of Bobby's Burger Palace, "The secret is to keep it a lot simpler than people think." Flay respects the burger. "I think of the burger as the quintessential sandwich. You have to think about every single component of a burger and then put it together. It's not easy making a good sandwich." Bobby then breaks it down. (video above)

"We start with terrific certified Angus beef, and the right ration of beef to fat. We use an 80-20 mix. You need to have enough fat in there for flavor and to keep it juicy. We season it really well with salt and pepper on both sides." The point he drives home to his cooks who do it the same way at all of his many restaurants is, "Melt the cheese completely. Spend the extra 20 seconds. It makes it taste better, it makes it look better, and makes the whole experience better."

Bobby's all about the experience at all of his many restaurants. "All the people that work in the restaurants are so passionate about what we do there. The bottom line is that the burgers are affordable, they look like and taste like the best burgers you ever had and that's really the key."

As for flavoring. "I don't put anything in the meat, no onions, garlic etc." Bobby puts the flavors and condiments on top and not mixed in. "That's meatloaf and we're making burgers," and the burgers are delicious.

So if Bobby were going to create the ultimate "Jersey Burger," what would he put on it? "This is actually the perfect time of the year for Jersey. Those tomatoes are becoming ripe. I think the Jersey tomato is one of the best ingredients, not just in Jersey, but anywhere in the country." So here's the recipe. "Not just put a slice of tomato on a burger. I would create something like a Jersey tomato salsa or a Jersey tomato relish something where you brought other ingredients in so it's like a sweet and sour thing."

"How about this? Jersey tomatoes cooked maybe for like 45 seconds in a pan and you put some honey and some vinegar and some chilis and some fresh Jersey basil in there, then put that on top of a burger. That would really enhance it at the same time."

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