Hamburger perfection

I was trying to find some Hamburger perfection tonight.

I found some recipes in the 60 minutes Gourmet by Pierre Franey which might wife must have bought and which I have never tried.

There was an interesting burger recipe Steak Hache avec Oeufs a Cheval (I could actually use my french). This one called for making a burger. It called for something (taking it to the next level hopefully) and making a sauce topping with
4 tspn butter
4 eggs
6-12 anchovy fillets
2 tblspn capers
1 tblspn parsley

The book has an introduction by Craig Claiborne.

I took out my book which I have used sparingly The Tabasco Cookbook and found that Claiborne's Ultimately Hamburger.
It's recipe including using butter, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco (hey that is what this book is all about it) , juice of 1 lemon and parsley.

So I decided to blend both recipes. Craig's was in the burger itself and the Franey would go on the top. I liked the dash of saltiness, the egg and burger. It was different 9/10.

I then found a yahoo blog with Jeffrey Steingarten (whom I see a lot on Iron Chef America) while searching for his blog. This blog piece was very interesting.

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/ahamburgertoday/4653/vogue-s-8-steps-to-hamburger-perfection

He suggested adding a bit of water to the meat.
Another chef, he found, says flip it every 30 seconds to char the outside and keep the inside moist.
Pepperidge Farm's Farmhouse Sandwich Rolls (not the company's classic hamburger buns) are said to be the best.
He liked using a blend of two parts chuck, two parts boneless short rib, and one part brisket.

Meanwhile there are reviews from chains.

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/ahamburgertoday/40/national-burger-chain-taste-test
Well they don't do many of them but some that they are found include Red Robin and ones around here. I was once in Red Robin and don't think much of it at all. Yeah they have a great variety but they are too pricey. I am not interested in paying $8 and more for a burger that really costs $4 or less.
Of course there are some exceptions so if you find them, let me know.
I think Backyard Burger (not mentioned in blog) is good. They haver a good char flavor.


I like to make my own. I don't usually have a burger when I go out to a restaurant. I am usually looking for something ethnic or different. Burgers I can make at home.