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Tampa Bay chefs weigh in on how to craft a perfect burger

 
The Jameson Burger at James Joyce Irish Pub in Tampa is Angus beef topped with barbecue sauce made with Jameson whiskey, candied bacon and fried crispy onions. It recently took top honors as Best Burger in the Bay at Tampa’s annual Burger Showdown.
The Jameson Burger at James Joyce Irish Pub in Tampa is Angus beef topped with barbecue sauce made with Jameson whiskey, candied bacon and fried crispy onions. It recently took top honors as Best Burger in the Bay at Tampa’s annual Burger Showdown.
Published June 16, 2015

What is the secret to a truly great hamburger? When we put the question to local chefs and restaurateurs, they each offered different versions of the same answer: Use quality ingredients.

That applies to everything, from the inside of the burger outward: ground beef, cheese, bun — not to mention toppings like a fried egg or Sriracha aioli or caramelized onions, all those culinary doodads that accompany patties trying to out-burger all the others these days.

The gourmet burger is de rigueur in Tampa Bay, from the one with tomato jam at downtown St. Petersburg's newly opened New American restaurant Brick and Mortar, to the arugula and pancetta-topped option at Italian eatery Ava in South Tampa. More casual burger spots like St. Petersburg's Engine No. 9 (and its new counterpart Engine Rose; see our review) and Tampa Bay chain Square 1 (which just opened its ninth location, Lakeland, this month) have upped the ante, too, with dozens of varieties on the classic burger. Best burger competitions have emerged on both sides of the bay in the past couple of years, with dozens of local restaurants offering up unique, extravagant concoctions.

But back to burger basics. Whether gourmet or grilled at home, what elevates a burger to that next, crave-worthy level? Here's what some of the people involved with Tampa Bay's burger scene had to say.

Understand it

The folks at St. Petersburg's Locale Market take burgers very seriously. Just look at their towering St. Petersburger, the carefully crafted hamburger that has become the market's signature item: Niman Ranch beef (a 50/50 blend of dry-aged chuck and brisket), romaine lettuce tossed in a secret sauce, crispy bacon, Gouda cheese, American cheese sauce, grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, on a toasted brioche bun. (And as if that wasn't enough, they just added a deluxe St. Petersburger to the menu at the wine bar upstairs that comes with the option to add a fried egg, foie gras and a boneless baby back rib plate.)

Locale's chef de cuisine Jeffrey Hileman, a Florida State graduate, created the burger for the market after stints with other Michael Mina restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Jackson Hole, Wyo., where he created a burger program from scratch. (Mina is one half of the celebrity chef duo, along with Don Pintabona, behind Locale.)

"This is something near and dear to my heart. I understand it," Hileman says, admitting he unknowingly "created a monster" with the St. Petersburger, the top-selling item by far at Locale. "A burger to me is something that can encapsulate everything that's good about food in one bite."

Building the burger

Every part of a burger contributes to its irresistible quality, though a great one has to start with the right cut of meat. Chuck, a fatter cut from the shoulder of the cow, is ideal for hamburgers. Hileman prefers a combo of chuck and brisket; he suggests working at least 20 percent fat into the patty, which equals more flavor.

Joanie Corneil, founder and CEO of Square 1 Burgers & Bar, instructs cooks to get "the best protein you can find, whether it's beef or chicken."

Chef Trey Taylor of James Joyce Irish Pub in Tampa, who helped create two winning entries for Tampa's fourth annual Burger Showdown last month, says high-quality meat is the most important thing about building a good burger. (The restaurant took the top prize for Best Burger in the Bay for the Jameson Burger — made with Angus beef, barbecue sauce made with Jameson whiskey, candied bacon and fried crispy onions; and in the Best Other Than Beef category with a ground chicken burger topped with fried chicken skins, blue cheese and buffalo sauce.)

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Each of the chefs stressed the importance of making sure whatever kind of beef used is ground fresh.

On to the toppings. Hileman applies the "Thunderdome principle" to burger toppings, and indeed, eating the St. Petersburger requires some jaw-unhingeing. To describe toppings that contribute to an exceptional burger, he uses words like "toothiness" (found in the St. Petersburger's Gouda cheese), "unctuous" (the bacon) and "umami" (the mushrooms and onions).

Don't forget the bun, that all-important sandwich vessel.

"The bun plays a huge role. No one wants a dense, stale, untoasted bun," Hileman says. "For me, it's like sushi rice: If the rice is no good, the sushi is no good." That's why Locale's brioche buns are made fresh daily in their bakery, then caramelized.

When it comes to perfecting hamburgers, the chefs agree that it's a pretty personal endeavor.

Hileman's burger cravings evolve — "It may sound like a silly statement, but food is an organic thing," he says — but the St. Petersburger is a solid representation of the one he currently wants to dig into.

Taylor, a serious enough burger fanatic that he has a meat grinder in his house, keeps it simple when he's cooking a burger at home: chuck mixed with hangar or flank steak for more flavor, topped with American cheese, bacon, pickles and a little bit of mustard.

Corneil simply advises to think about what you really want to eat, whether that's mushrooms or chili peppers, and work that into the burger.

"Put on it what you like," she says.

'The all-american food'

However you prepare it, a great burger satisfies a specific craving. It's a deeply American, quintessential summer food that has an uncanny ability to transport us to a certain time and place, usually around a grill.

"I have great memories of being a little boy and my dad firing up the grill and goofing off in the back yard waiting for the fire to get hot," Hileman says. "(A burger) is memorable; it evokes a lot of emotions in a lot of people. And not to sound like a Neanderthal, but I like to eat with my hands."

Corneil says: "It's the all-American food. ... I think it's a comfort food, it brings back good memories for most of us, especially in the summertime when you fire up the grill. When you're really, really hungry, one thing comes to mind. That, and I think pizza would be next."

As a meal, the burger is both a delicate balance of flavors and textures and a comforting mess.

"A good burger is sweet, salty, warm, cool, crunchy, sweet, spicy and acidic at the same time," Hileman says. "You can't help go in for another bite immediately. Plus, it's a great template to get really creative and make something special and unique."

Contact Michelle Stark at mstark@tampabay.com. Follow @mstark17.