As you take your first bite of this burger and all its fixin’s, your taste receptors will be saturated with the pure essence of umami — and the elusive flavour profile will be forever imprinted on your palate.
If you are curious about umami and want to experience the so-called fifth distinct taste (after sweet, sour, bitter and salty) in all of its glory, this burger has your name written all over it. The umami factor starts with the beef itself, then is increased exponentially with the addition of umami-rich Worcestershire sauce, dried
morel mushrooms, caramelized onions, blue cheese, homemade ketchup, and my secret hack: Vegemite.
If you are committed to making the ultimate umami burger, start by going to a butcher shop and asking the butcher to custom-grind a three-part blend of beef for you. Dry-aged rib-eye trimmings will add some umami-rich funk; short rib or brisket will contribute richness; and hanger or skirt steak will intensify the “meatiness.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Vegemite
11⁄2 lbs ground beef (ideally 1⁄3 dry-aged rib-eye,
1⁄3 boneless short rib, 1⁄3 hanger steak) or your
favourite blend — or what’s available
2 tbsp dried morel mushroom or any other
dried mushroom, ground in a mortar
and pestle or a coffee grinder
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 airy burger buns (ideally brioche)
4 oz blue cheese or Gruyère, or your favourite
burger cheese, crumbled or grated
2 tbsp garlic butter or butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp Onion Marmalade (see below)
4 tbsp homemade ketchup
DIRECTIONS:
In a small ramekin, mix Worcestershire and Vegemite. Reserve.
To a large bowl, add ground beef. Add Worcestershire-Vegemite blend, mushroom powder and mustard. Mix, but do not overmix. Form 4 beef patties. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
If buns are too thick or too dense, pull a little bread from the centre of the top half, or slice a bit off from 1 or both of the cut sides.
TO GRILL: Preheat grill to direct medium-high heat. Grill burgers for about 4 minutes per side, or until they are cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Halfway through grilling the second side, top with cheese and close lid to help the cheese melt.
TO PAN-COOK: Over high heat, heat a cast-iron pan, or another heavy pan, until it smokes. Add burgers, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until they are almost at your desired degree of doneness. Top burgers with cheese and cover with a lid for 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted.
While patties are cooking, brush buns with butter and toast, cut side down, in a pan or on a grill until cut side is lightly browned.
TO SERVE: Spread the bottom bun with Onion Marmalade, and the top bun with ketchup.
COOKING TIME < 30 minutes + extra time to prepare optional condiments
YIELD 4 generous burgers
PLAN-OVERS Patties freeze well and will last in airtight wrapping for up to 6 months
LIQUIDITY Guinness/Gigondas
FOR THE CARAMELIZED ONION MARMALADE
In a large, heavy sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and the butter. When the butter bubbles, add the onions and salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 more minutes, or until the onions are a deep golden colour. Reserve.
Getting the Most From Your Burger Bun
The bun you wrap your burger in is often an afterthought, but it can have as much of an impact on the overall taste experience as the burger itself — and it deserves the same consideration. The right bun adds just enough bread to every bite, without overwhelming the burger and condiments. The wrong bun hijacks the whole experience or collapses into nothingness.
Ever since Daniel Boulud put foie gras on a burger and charged $50 for it, high-end burgers have established a foothold in the world of fine dining, and “third wave” burger joints have popped up everywhere. Bread makers have risen to the occasion, and now an assortment of artisanal buns designed to complement fancy burgers are available at many grocery stores and bakeries. The most popular options include brioche, ciabatta, potato buns and pretzel buns.
Many of the fanciest, artisanal buns are still too thick and/or too dense for my taste. If you feel the same way, slice a thin layer from the centre of the bun, or pull out a bit of bread from the inside of the top half. There is no real test other than to size up the bun with a little squeeze.
Regardless of which bun you choose, toasting it will help it add to, rather than detract from, the overall package. Toasting a bun warms it from the inside out, softens it, and adds a pleasing crust. At the same time, it maintains the integrity of the dome-like top of the bun so that it presents perfectly.
Butter or oil your bun on both sides, then toast the halves, cut side down, without flipping them. This can be done in a pan, on a grill over low heat, or on an open panini maker.
Gastronaut, author, and eight-time Guinness World Record holder Bob Blumer is best known as the creator and host of Food Network’s award-winning shows Surreal Gourmet, Glutton for Punishment, and World’s Weirdest Restaurants. He has also written seven cookbooks in which he transforms ordinary ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through simple cooking methods and whimsical presentations that have become his culinary trademark. His 7th book Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better is a collection of the tricks, tips, hacks and techniques he gleaned as he ate his way around the globe for the past 25 years. The Toronto Sun says “Blumer once again pushes boundaries, but in a way that encourages readers to let go their own culinary hesitations to create simple meals built on layers of flavor.”
Bob is a long-term ambassador for Second Harvest, Toronto, a perishable food bank. He is also the ambassador for Love Food/Hate Waste, a national Canadian zero-waste initiative. When he is not traveling for work or pleasure, the transplanted Canadian cycles daily in the canyons near his home in the Hollywood Hills, doing his best to stay in shape for his next big adventure.
