burger, butter and buns

"What time is it?  Summer Time!"  The mantra flies through my house until September.  Once Memorial Day hits, I smell the grills in my neighborhood on a nightly basis.  We all enjoy partaking in a wonderful day of picnicking throughout the summer.  I know many people love to get out Grandma's classic Potato Salad recipe (I'm not taking about the local grocery store deli potato salad that you doctor up with mustard.  Oh no.).  Recently, my trusty grill went kaput.  It died.  It LITERALLY fell apart.  This happened just at the beginning of grilling season.  To say I was dismayed would be sugar coating the situation.  I use that grill; wait,  USED that grill at least 3 times a week!  What was I going to do?  Well, being a Prime Member (That's all I'm saying, I'm not shamelessly plugging that retail giant), I didn't wait long before I was ready to fire up a new shiny grill and break it in!

A dry burger.  Typical on a grill.

The luxurious butter adds a juicy finish.

 How often have you charcoal grill or fire up the propane and your burger gets dry and/or experiences shrinkage?  (know it didn't just get out of the pool.)  Then you got to your favorite restaurant and you get the juiciest, best tasting burger every time.  What gives?  Well, there are a few things at play that cause your burger to fall flat each time you grill.
1.  Fat content of the burger it self.
Getting the 90% fat free has its health advantages, with it, it takes away your flavor and moisture.
2.  Time of cooking.
If you cook your burger like you cook your bacon, it will dry out.  Medium in the center is plenty.  Of course, eating under cooked meats may lead to a food borne illness.  I always roll the dice on that one.
3.  The grill grates.
Those wonderful grates on your grill are also the main culprit in drying out your beloved burger.  No matter how high your grill temp is to sear the meat, the juices will still fall.  Great burgers in restaurants are generally cooked on a flat top.  A large cook top where the meat cooks in its own juices.  It just keeps basting your burger to perfection.

I know what some of you are thinking:  "But I love my grilled burgers!"  Do no worry.  A simple trick will do all the work.  BUTTER!  You might scratch your head on that one a bit, but think about it.  Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon, Beurre Noisette (brown butter sauce), and true Hollandaise to name a few.  The added fat adds flavor and provides a better mouth feel.

​Now, for the good stuff.  I was given an opportunity to try this new butter from Creekside Creamery called Burger Butters.  Do not let the name fool you....these butters would work on so much more than just a burger.  (I'll get to that later....like another blog post going over all the ways one flavored butter can be used.)  The butters come in two flavors, Horseradish Blue Cheese and Bacon Pepper Jack.  Can you guess which one I tried?  Yes....I tried the Bacon Pepper Jack.  And??????  It was INCREDIBLE!  A wonderful creamy and a bit of a spicy kick to elevate my burgers.  One bite and I was Hooked!  The  flavor is extremely balanced.  Good bacon notes with the perfect amount of heat.

I hope you check these butters out, but not before I give you my recipe.

1LB Grass fed Ground Beef
1 LB Local Ground Pork
4 Buns:  Pretzel, Ciabatta  BUT NO WHITE BUNS.  Treat yourself to some flavor.
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp onion powder
4-6 Dollops of Bacon Pepper Jack Butter
Mix Thoroughly and form into 4 eight oz patties or 8 four oz patties.  Only Flip once for grilling, about 8 minutes for the first side if using 8oz patties.  Flip, cook for 2 minutes.  Place 1 butter dollop per burger, cook for 4 minutes.  Remove and serve.  I recommend grilling the burger buns.  Thaw 2 dollops and spread liberally on each bun.  Grill on high heat.  Top burgers with your favorite toppings.

ENJOY!