Last night I had a major craving for a classic Cheeseburger. I had seen many versions of burgers that are stuffed with cheese and decided to riff off that. I think the most important part of this blog post is the technique in which to properly cook a burger. Forget about the cheese and all the bells and whistles and just learn the various steps in making the perfect burger cooking:
1. Get yourself a cast iron skillet if you don’t already have one (I use mine for everything from steaks, to veggies to cornbread) - best $15 investment you'll make in a while...
2. Learn how to heat up a pan so that it’s smoking hot. This insures a perfect sear every time!
3. SEASON YOUR MEAT! Be generous with that salt and pepper. Ground beef is not super flavorful, and needs all the help it can get.
4. Season the meat only just before it’s about to get seared… when you put salt on a piece of raw meat, it starts to draw moisture out of the flesh. And we all know what happens when water hits hot oil (Splatterville). Also, too much moisture will make it harder to get that crispy sear that you want. So only season the meat right before it's about to hit the pan!
5. Finish the burgers in the oven - a sear will only cook the outside of the meat…..which is fine with me considering I eat all meat Moo-ing….but for the rest of the normal world - finish in the oven!
6. Let the burgers rest a few minutes before serving. You know when you bite into a burger and all the juice just comes gushing out? Yea, that’s the result of not resting.
I hope these pointers help you and that you experiment with your burger cooking techniques soon!
Cheddar Stuffed Cheeseburgers
5 Minutes
20 Minutes
25 Minutes
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 2 sliced thin on a bias Scallions
- 1 1/2 Cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (divided)
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Canola Oil
- 4 Burger Buns (toasted)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine your ground beef and your scallions. Divide the beef into 4 equal pieces and form a flat patty.
- Put about 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese in the center of each patty and carefully fold the edges together on top of the cheese (making sure the cheese is on the inside, and not able to drip out of any holes. Form into a patty, leaving the edges thicker than the center.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet with a teaspoon of canola oil. Once smoking hot, season both sides of your burgers with salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flip over and sear another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove from heat and top each burger with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Place in oven and cook about 12 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before placing the burgers on the buns. Serve hot.
