• American Cuisine
• Beef
• Burgers

Hamburger

• Source: Hamburger Slider, Meat Burger

• Derivative: Cheeseburger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Fried Onion Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Frita Cubana (Cuban Burger), Meat Burger
• Derivative: Hamburger Slider, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Jucy Lucy, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Kentucky Pimento Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Memphis Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Memphis Deep Fried Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Michigan Olive Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Mississippi Slugburger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Patty Melt, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Poached Burger, Meat Burger
• Derivative: Wisconsin Butter Burger, Meat Burger

French Bistro Flavor, Captured in a Bun

A Hamburger is a grilled, preferably charbroiled beef patty served on a white bun slightly smaller than the patty. The bun is split, buttered, and browned on a griddle. The cooked patty is set on the bottom bun, which is spread with mayonnaise, then topped with ketchup, a touch of yellow mustard, fresh tomato slices, dill pickle chips and sliced yellow onions. A layer of iceberg lettuce follows, finished with the top bun, also smeared with mayonnaise. This classic build reflects the mid-20th-century American diner style that shaped the original White Castle onion slider into the modern hamburger. There are many versions of what arguably is just a sandwich, but most of these belong in the broader class of burgers.

Hamburger Toppings

The classic diner toppings give a grilled beef patty its characteristic hamburger flavor. The mingling of the ketchup, pickle juice and mayonnaise with the beef juices, creates the saucy richness that defines the classic hamburger. The effect echoes the French bistro dish steak frites, where a seared steak is finished with a dollop of mayonnaise or Bearnaise. Bearnaise sauce is an emulsion built from ingredients also found to the diner style toppings. A burger can be refined by using condiments that echo this profile, such as cucumber pickle relish or red pickle relish.

Hamburger Bun

From a culinary-science standpoint, the bun functions as a structural substrate: it must provide enough tensile strength to support the patty and toppings while maintaining capillary capacity to absorb rendered beef fat, condiment moisture, and pickle brine. A plain white bun with sesame seeds is ideal because its neutral flavor profile and fine, tender crumb do not compete with the aromatics of the beef or sauces. - AsNotedIn

Works

• Novella: The Body (King story)

Places

• Bob's Big Boy Burbank
• Crazee Burger San Diego, CA
• Hamburger America New York City
• Jamie's Broadway Grille Sacramento
• Meers Store and Restaurant Lawton
• Mo's Place, Playa del Rey Playa del Rey, CA
• Moo Creamery Bakersfield, CA
• The Balboa Bar And Grill, San Diego San Diego, CA
• United States of America