ten steps to the perfect cheeseburger

My team had a bye-week last weekend; so I'm more than ready for some tailgating & football this Saturday. I'm not yet certain what the weekend's menu holds; but I'm dreaming of cheeseburgers. And a Texas Aggie win.

The 10 Essential Steps to the Perfect Cheeseburger

1. Use 6 oz. of meat per patty, no more and no less. Don't guess; weigh it.

2. Shape it with your hands into patties. Ignore the common advice about not "overworking" the meat.

3. Liberally salt (use Kosher salt) and pepper both sides. Salt is the glory of red meat; don't stint.

4. Make a deep thumbprint in the middle of each patty (it evens out the burger when it cooks, don't ask why).

5. Refrigerate the patties until you're ready to grill. You can salt and pepper well ahead if you'd like.

6. Make a HOT charcoal fire.

7. Liberally oil both your grill and the meat before you start.

8. For medium-rare, grill the meat EXACTLY 3 minutes on one side (grill lid closed) and 2 minutes on the other.

9. Add the cheese, cover each patty with a burger cover, and cook for 1 minute more.

10. Remove the meat and quickly grill the buns (the only civilized way to eat hamburger buns).

tailgating toys

Have I mentioned that the official countdown to college football season has commenced (kick-off is two weeks and counting, from today)? I'm thinking our small group of pre-game partiers needs to fancy things up a little this year.

Premium Margaritaville Trio Frozen Concoction Maker (Williams-Sonoma):

*Note ... not a clue what the hors d'oeuvres on the plate are, but they look equally tasty!



hot dog cast iron grill topper (the actual topper is correctly printed backwards; this one was reversed for photo purposes. No Aggie jokes necessary):

The grill topper is a portable ceramic coated cast iron grill rack that turns ordinary grilled meat into works of art by searing your choice of team logos onto the surface of your meat. Simply set the grill topper on your existing grill rack and pre-heat. Place your hot dog directly on the team logo, searing the image onto the meat as it cooks.

burgers:
I'm torn between the following two coolers. Each has its perks.

Rolling cooler:
or Motorized Cooler Scooter (cracks my sheet up):

I especially love the description:

Why walk when you can ride?! Our new rideable cooler's 400 Watt electric motor propels you and up to 24 of your favorite 12 oz. beverages (and ice!) around the lot, beach, or neighborhood at up to 13 MPH. With a range of up to 15 miles per charge, you can take a load off while distributing beverages to friends and neighbors.

Ring bottle opener (pretty classy, huh?):Magnetic koozies (tip: make sure to remove these before packing up and heading home):




Beat the hell outta New Mexico!