How the Perfect Hamburger Looks, According to Experts and Gluttons

Let’s start with a reality: there is no such thing as a bad burger. Between two buns, any simple ingredient acquires a vehement, almost supernatural power. And while the options can be infinite, I personally prefer to set creativity aside when it comes to them. Yes, the aberrations are also infinite. The culinary writer and devoted hamburger lover –like myself– Anthony Bourdain, said they were already perfect, so why ruin them?In an interview with Bourdain by TechInsider, the chef shared the eight golden rules for making them. The first was to keep them classic, almost academic: bread, meat, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, and nothing more. Ricardo Campuzano, the chef of the hamburger restaurant Margarita, states that the perfect burger results from simplicity but also from the quality of the ingredients.The bread, of course, must be the frame that holds everything together. A soft and sufficiently buttery brioche –we should be conservative with the amounts of our dairy friend to avoid overshadowing the flavor of the meat– can send a burger to the hell of the ordinary or to the heaven of the chosen ones. Joan Bagur, baker and founder of Sal y Dulce Artesanos, summarizes that the ideal bread is a butter brioche-style bread with a consistency that can hold the meat's juices. However, it should not be too thick because it could hide the flavor of the patty. “The butter used to make the bread must be of good quality so that it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste,” he adds.  Let’s talk about the meat. If we consider that the origin of the recipe could be from the Mongolian and Turkish tribes of the 14th century, who minced the meat to make it even edible, this ingredient in its ground or minced version is irreplaceable. Come on. If we take it out, we might as well call it a sandwich, bocata, entrepán, torta, or a sub. The decision of whether to make it from beef, pork, or a Solomon-like combination of both is a matter of conscience, taste, and budget. Bourdain claimed that including sirloin or any overly exotic cut destroyed the blend. Instead, he preferred brisket or rib, some of the fattier parts. And yes, the yellow part, the one that melts with heat, is what really adds magic. Chef Campuzano ensures that the perfect combination is 80% meat, 20% fat, and just season with salt. Joan Bagur advises cooking it on a very hot grill so it seals, caramelizes, and retains the juices inside. He recommends finishing it on the grill to get that spectacular roasted flavor. The writer of Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain, stated that cheese must not be missing and it should be melted. Panela, ricotta, fresh cheese, you don't play around. In my opinion, it is through the combination of cheeses, the fat of the meat, and the butteriness of the bread that the experience called “burger” occurs. No one should forget the sauces. Resting on the bread is mayonnaise –a light cream balanced with lemon and fat– and the queen of all, ketchup (the ketchup for the rest of Latin America). It should be tomatoey and vinegary, subtly sweet to balance the fat and provide acidity. For Anthony, there was no discussion about bacon; it was always the occasion. However, he found it excessive when burgers arrived at the table like a Lego tower. The issue is that if it is too tall, it is almost impossible to gather all its flavors in one bite. Then there are the fries because, what is a burger without fries? Quoting Gloria Trevi, it’s definitely a fry without ketchup. They should be homemade, cut into strips or wedges. They should be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Preferably, they shouldn’t leave our fingers greasy, nor should they clump together.Looks can be deceiving. Burgers may seem like a coarse food, perhaps because we have seen them served on plastic trays, between plastics and brown paper bags, in cardboard boxes to be enjoyed in the car, with or without a toy. That doesn’t make them any less good. The burger is perfect in its components. Reaching a balance is a fortunate accident of the Matrix; it is the difference between fast food and a meal that barely fades into memory over time. That’s what happened to me a week ago at the Nopa restaurant in San Francisco or every time I pass by an In and Out, where its orange dressing disguises any imperfections, if there are any. I also cannot forget those from The Spaniard in New York. In Mexico, there are several that wink at me. Those that remind me of my adolescence, like the ones from the Fuentes de Satélite that have pineapple, or those that Joan Bagur used to make at OkDF and paired with patatas bravas. Recently, I tried the one from Margarita, from chef Ricardo Campuzano, in the Narvarte neighborhood: its combination of meat + bacon + cheddar seemed to highlight its good ingredients in a delightful way.The burger is more than a sandwich on steroids. The ritual involves us; it asks us to stay attentive so that the meat doesn’t slide to the bottom, so that the condiments don’t end up on our clothes. But perhaps the best part of eating it is that for four, fifteen, or the twenty bites that survive us, we become children again, happy children once more.