Recession Burgers

I think this season is going to reveal a lot about New York. Will the laid-off Wall-Streeters have more time to train while living forever in relative luxury on past bonuses? Will the blue-collar racers stretch out their gear longer than recommended? Will work-from-home freelance types whose spouses bring home most of the bacon, like myself, continue training as we please while neglecting our retirement accounts? Are we all going to be mugged for our bikes in Central Park?

I recently unloaded all of my functional spare bike parts on eBay at the bottom (maybe) of the market for pennies on the dollar. How about a $500 carbon crankset for $80? A brand new stem for $10? I still have a crappy but race-winning frame with an “integrated” seatpost for sale. Make an offer. I’ll take it. Do I hear $20?

Already we’ve seen one long-standing team go from finance-industry support to Mexican beer. My team has gone from international tourism to pizza. While I really liked South Africa as a sponsor and kit, real Italian pizza is much more New York. 

So here’s a little recipe that will help you live like you can afford $30 hamburgers. I’ve been meaning to write more about my favorite kitchen gadgets. I don’t want to say it’s going to be a series, because we all know how that will go. But, if I write about another gadget, this will be the first article of two or more. 

I once picked up a hand-crank meat grinder at a Midwestern garage sale. It’s quite old, and no longer compatible with new parts and attachments. But it makes excellent burgers and sausage. 

It's hard to screw this up. You’ll need some chuck and something fattier, like short rib meat. Go for tasty meat, not expensive tender cuts. Mix in some lamb or pork if you like. Cut the meat off the bones, if there are any. Remove any big pieces of connective tissue that you can.

If you’re using a grinder you'll want to cut your meat into one-inch or so chunks. Spread these out on a metal tray and freeze for about 30 minutes or until they’re just starting to freeze so the meat grinds easier and doesn't smear. Run through your grinder with a big cutting plate and/or blade. You want pea-sized bits, not a play dough extrusion.

You can chop the meat up with a knife also and it will be just as good. A little freezing will help. A third option is a food processor. I have not used one for this, but I bet Andy will chime in with some hints. In general, the idea is to not smear the muscle and fat together. You want small distinct pieces. 

Take your ground meat and season it liberally with salt and pepper, folding rather than stirring to get the seasoning mixed in. Again, don’t mush it all up. 

Here are some suggestions for additional seasoning: garlic, onion, butter, bacon fat. Don’t make meatballs. No bread or eggs. 

Gently form your burgers. They should almost fall apart.  Get your cast iron pan smoking hot and brown the burgers on one side, then flip carefully and brown the other side. If you’re not afraid that the burgers are going to fall apart, then you packed them too tight.

Turn down the heat and cook to medium rare, then add cheese and either move them to a hot oven for a bit, or cover the pan until the cheese melts. I like these cheap cuts of meat somewhere between medium rare and medium. Some people get worried about eating pink ground meat, but it's perfectly safe to eat this medium rare because you've ground the meat at home on your own clean equipment, you've kept the meat very cold, and you're using it immediately or putting it right back in the freezer or fridge.

Finally, use a good bread or maybe a Portuguese roll, not some crappy soft bun. Let your burgers rest on the bread for a few minutes before eating so it soaks up the fat and juice.

Enjoy, and keep patching those old training tubes.