Chuck, Chuck, Chuck!
Thursday, October 27th, 2005So let’s talk hamburgers…

If you go into a pub/restaurant, there’s a good chance that there will be a hamburger on the menu. If the menu, in an attempt to fancy-up the joint, says, “made from 100% lean ground sirloin,” you might as well just turn around and leave. That burger’s no good.
You see, a decent hamburger really can only be made from one thing: ground chuck, straight from the shoulder of the cow. And the meat needs to be pretty darn fatty, something like 10 to 15% fat. Otherwise, you’re going to get some dry, tasteless puck that you’ll have to quietly endure as you watch you’re friends devour what looks like a pretty decent Ruben.
Chuck, people! Sure there are exceptions—I think the people at [Shake Shack](http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/) mix skirt steak with the chuck, [Peter Luger](http://www.peterluger.com/), I’m sure, uses their amazing porter house steaks, probably a well-marbleized sirloin would do, but why waste you’re money? The chuck is sitting right there.
Maybe they shouldn’t even serve a burger at pub/restaurants—they’re invariably way too big, served on some monstrous 5-inch high bun; who needs it? If you order it rare, you’re biting through 2 inches of cold, pink flesh (too much).
My latest feeling is that burgers should be kind-of small, loosely-packed, greasy, and delicious…


