A Taste of History

A MISERABLE PATTIE IS NO FINE HAMBURG

Gareth Jones is a food consultant, chef, husband and father of two. For the past 30 years he has worked with many large and mid- size food companies, as well as the supermarkets. He has helped shape their vision, improve their products, bring in new ideas and generally prod them in the right direction.

Let us raise a cheer for the Hamburger. Like Real Ale and Real Cider, let’s campaign to bring it back. No more thin patties, but instead the full blown, coarse cut siblings of the Steak Haché. The hamburger has only the loosest connection with the Baltic port, hence ‘Hamburger’ meaning ‘Of Hamburg’. All we do know is that first references didn’t appear until the 1890s in New York – and fried chopped beef cakes served in abun were all the rage at the St Louis Word Fair in 1904.

Egyptians and Gauchos
Delve back further and we find the Ancient Egyptians recorded as enjoying patties of minced meat. Given they brought us Foie Gras, I’d bet their ‘burgers were more mighty than anything you’ll find on the High Street. Later on, they say Genghis Khan’s warriors fed on chopped meat, tenderised by being laid under their saddles as they galloped across the Steppes – then chopped and cooked over a hastily arranged open fire. Gaucho’s still do much the same – hence ‘Fajitas’ (meaning ‘little belts’ or their meat’s toughness), again cooked in small pieces out on the Pampas over a fire.

We are told that sailors from Hamburg ‘exported’ the idea of eating chopped beef and other meats. This came back from Russia as a dish to eat raw – and so the sublime ‘Steak Tartare’, meaning ‘of the Tartars’. In Hamburg today you’re more likely to fall onto a Frikadelle of chopped pork if you’re looking for fast food – and a steak tartare will be called ‘American Steak’. Confusing so it is.

Medieval Meat Balls
Meat balls too have been with us since medieval times - maybe some cook in a castle or tavern had the idea of flattening them into a today’s familiar round, flat shape and unwittingly created the hamburger.
Good hamburgers are up there with the best and simplest of foods – inexpensive too. The action of chopping the beef across ‘the grain’ of the muscle makes less tender cuts and easier to enjoy. To avoid those over-cooked, miserably thin patties that completely dominate the famous fast food chains, I urge you to make your own. On taste it’ll be no contest – and on price you’ll likely fall in on the right side of the line too.

Fore-end & Flank
Making your own means you know what you used – look for Extra Lean Beef Mince. Better still find a butcher who will do this it for you – ask for lean minced beef – Americans would ask for ‘ground’ mince. The term ‘mince’ comes from the French meaning slender or thin. There’s is a country where Steak Haché is a midweek mainstay – order a haché in a French butcher’s and it’ll be freshly made in front of you with cuts off the carcase shoulder (fore end) and underside (flank) that are harder to cook unless chopped – ironically, it’ll done more often than not in on an old stainless steel machine which was first deigned in the USA.

To Make
Hand mix the extra lean beef mince, seasoned to your taste with salt, black pepper, soy, Worcestershire or even chilli sauce. Chef’s tip 1: allow an ice cube to melt, add your seasonings and mix into the meat – this will soften the texture and make for better eating. Take a handful of the meat, gently squeeze and shape into a flat round about 1” thick. Chef’s tip 2: the more you handle the meat, the tougher it will become. You’ll find your own personalised recipe as you go along – this one’s just for starters.
Pre-heat a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes, add a little oil and soon after your hamburgers. Sizzle over a medium heat for 3 minutes a side, resisting all temptation to move it around, for rare – longer if you prefer medium to well done.
Chefs tip 3: press it with your index finger (it’ll become your best friend in the kitchen) – the softer to the touch the rarer the meat; the more firm to the feel, the more well cooked it’ll be.
I always advocate for rare eating which you’ll never be served on the high street for fear of it upsetting your tummy – another reason why making your own is best. Chef’s tip 4: remove and leave to ‘rest’ for enough time for you to ‘toast’ your split bun on the inside in the same pan.
Make up your own presentation – raw onion rings, sliced beef tomato, pickled gherkins, relish, sliced cheese, grilled bacon, etc. The more times you make them, they more adept you’ll become.