Focus on food: January 28, 2010

Classic Hamburger

Ingredients:
• 1 1⁄2 pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Spread the meat over a large surface like a plate or a glass pan sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently toss the meat with your hands to incorporate the seasonings.

2. Divide the meat in to 4 and pat into 1-inch-thick patties, making a 1⁄4 inch indentation in the center of each. Rub each burger with a dab of vegetable oil. Grill the burgers covered, indentation side up until seared well on the first side. This should take no more than 3 minutes.

3. Whatever you do, don’t press on the burgers while they are on the grill! This will release all of the juices and the result will undoubtedly be a dry and crumbly.

4. Flip the burgers and continue to grill the other side until they reach your desired doneness.

5. Transfer the burgers to a plate and let them rest under a foil tent for 5 minutes. This step is necessary to lock in those juices.