“Did you watch the video?” Thomas asked after all the recent news coverage surrounding the recall of 143 million pounds of beef. Of course I didn’t watch it . . . it would have made me feel about as dirty as watching a snuff film, which I guess it was. Everyone knows my stance on conventionally raised feedlot beef, and everyone agrees they would not want to participate in such atrocities, yet this is what we feed our nation’s children, and this is what we perpetuate when we proclaim, “This roast was on sale for $1.99 a pound!” Well, I am not here to preach (yea, right, I’m so great at withholding my opinions . . . ). Since we seem to be caught in the disconnect between what we know is wrong and the dollar menu at McDonalds, let us imagine 143 million pounds of love and accept nothing else on our tables.
Food is love, or it should be. That love is not always reciprocated, especially when one is cooking for children. It can at times be a sort of one-sided affair. Like, I pour my heart and soul into making something tasty and nourishing, and they say, “yuck.” Dinner at our house often involves lots of strategic planning and the orchestration of “flexitarian” meals that can be adapted to everyone’s taste and maturity level. And my kids are not even particularly picky. There is, however, one meal I can make that effortlessly makes every last one of us happy, is incredibly simple and straightforward to prepare, and makes any mundane evening a party.
Hamburgers at our house are never a thoughtlessly slapped-together patty of meat between a tasteless, starchy bun. Every step of creation, while essentially simple, must be treated with the utmost respect. The magic is truly in the simplicity, so the ritual must be carefully followed, and we have honed the process to a science. Here’s how:
- Start fire—not chemical-laden briquettes or gas. Must use B & B 100% natural hardwood lumb charcoal.
- Make patties—1/2 pound per person of one part Thunderheart bison to one part local, grass-fed beef. Of course you must not compromise here. Whole Foods now carries local grass-fed beef at the Lamar location & perhaps others too. Do not add any other seasoning except a little salt on the outside of the patties. Do not mix too vigorously, or pack patties too tightly. After making them, press down in the center of each patty with the heel of your hand to create a little indention—this will keep the burgers flat when they grill & let them cook evenly.
- Slice a yellow onion pretty thick.
- Slice a juicy tomato—there are local greenhouse tomatoes at the farmers market & local heirloom tomatoes at Central Market—both are picked ripe and are juicy and yummy even before tomato season.
- Central Market makes really good hamburger buns—split open & butter both halves with some softened butter.
- Slice thinly some good white cheddar (Full Quiver)—something pretty sharp is best.
- Grill patties, onions and hamburger buns. When you flip burgers over for the last time, place cheese on top & let it melt. I like burgers medium rare—when you get good, local beef and know where it’s coming from, you can do this.
This is a hamburger that goes great with a good bottle of red wine. We usually don’t mess around with potato salad, French fries, or any other silly, detracting frippery. Although I must admit that the other night, we did precede them with some icy, briny, just-shucked oysters. And corn on the cob when it’s in season is certainly appropriate.
This is what American food should be about. This is a cuisine we can be proud of, food worth waiting for, food worth the splurge, food that has value. When my children come to the table for these burgers, there is always the usual noisy chattering and jostling, then . . . silence. Total silence. Sometimes they even close their eyes when they take the first bite.
