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Chef’s Kitchen
Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s
Kitchen column to give us tips that elevate their cooking (and hopefully
ours). They also provide a recipe that showcases their tips. Our guest
chef this month is Owner/Chef Justin
Mevs of The Lucky Diner. While the Diner may be new, it opened in June
of 2011, Justin has been around awhile. Certainly long enough to see the
need for a local hangout in Belltown. He's created a traditional
American diner offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert throughout
the day, seven days a week. It's the perfect place for a casual meal, a
piece of pie and coffee, some one-on-one with your laptop (free WiFi) or
as your last stop of the night before going home.
Justin started his culinary career at a deli in Buffalo, New York, when
he was 15. At 16, he moved to The Georgian House, an all-day restaurant.
He decided to go to a culinary arts school, Paul Smith's College in
upstate New York from 1994-1995 and then transferred to Johnson & Wales
University to get his Associate degree. While in school, he worked at an
Italian/Mediterranean bar and grill, then spent a summer working in
France. When he returned, he worked nights at Palomino for Restaurants
Unlimited (RUI) in Minnesota and days at Lucia, a small local
restaurant. He decided to move to Seattle and ended up at Cutters
Bayhouse at Pike Place Market where he was lead cook and then sous chef
from 1998-2001. He then moved to Ruth's Chris when it was in the Bank of
America building in downtown Seattle, staying a year, then opening the
Bellevue Ruth's Chris location, staying two years. He left and worked at
The Brooklyn for a year. When he heard the executive chef job was open
at Cutters, he returned to his old stomping grounds and RUI, staying
until 2009. He left with the idea of opening his own place, which took
longer than expected, but finally opened in 2011.
The Perfect Burger
By Owner/Chef Justin Mevs
There are many factors involved from start to
finish in preparing the perfect burger. Some key quality points that I
look for are texture, flavor and juiciness. The key factors I use
in the preparation of our burgers at The Lucky Diner that result in what
I think is the perfect burger are:
Selection:
-
Buy your beef from a butcher that grinds their
beef in-house. There are several butchers and markets in the Seattle
area that grind high-quality beef. I've done a lot of research on
this and have found Don and Joe's in the Pike Place Market has my
favorite grind. Shop around a bit and see who has yours.
-
Beef that is pre-ground and shipped can lose
its juiciness from being packed in large quantities. Shipping can
also compress the beef and the burger will lose the crumble effect
when you eat it.
-
Buy a mix that has an 80/20 meat to fat ratio.
The higher amount of beef fat, the more moist, juicy and full of
flavor the burger will be. I think an 85/15 blend is acceptable, but
if you go any lower than that, it will effect the quality and flavor
of the beef. Let's face it--if you are that concerned about the fat
content of a burger, you might just want to switch to a turkey
burger or avoid using a mayonnaise-based sauce to save on calories.
The beef is the most important part of a burger in my opinion.
Preparation:
-
Burger patties come
in many different forms and holding methods. This is a critical area
that can really effect the burger.
-
I portion my burgers
on the heavy side in order to retain the juices while cooking.
-
A patty weight
between 6-8 oz. is a good size to retain a good texture and the
juices during the cooking process.
-
Form your patty just
before cooking. The meat should be loosely formed, then grilled or
seared immediately. This method ensures the retention of juices and
will have a nice "crumble" to the texture.
-
Pre-portioned and
stacked patties can actually solidify the meat and squeeze out
flavorful juices before you even begin to cook.
-
Be sure the sides of
the burger are well-formed and there are no cracks. This will
prevent the burger from crumbling or splitting while cooking.
Cooking:
-
Burgers should be
well-seasoned and cooked at a very high heat. I advise you to use a
hot grill, broiler or sauté pan.
-
Searing the exterior
at a high temperature will seal in the juices and you will have a
juicy burger for sure!
-
Turn or rotate the
burger on each side during the cooking process to ensure even
cooking.
-
Only flip your
burger one time while cooking.
-
If you need to
finish cooking your burger in the oven to avoid burning, this is an
acceptable method.
-
I would avoid using
a meat thermometer to temp the burger. You do not want to break the
sear on the exterior which will cause all of the flavorful fats and
juices to escape. Doneness can be measured by touching the burger.
it is a skill learned over time, but once you have it down and
you're eating "the perfect burger," you will realize it was worth
the time!
The Lucky Diner
2630 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
206-805-0133
www.TheLuckyDiner.com
Click here to see
Owner/Chef Justin Mev's recipe
November 2011
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