Talking to Ski Martin about the Owl Café's green chile cheeseburger reminded me of the conversation I had with George Motz, the guy who made the film Hamburger America. It is Motz' opinion that grinding your own meat is one of the key elements of a fantastic burger. I was surprised and pleased to learn that the Owl grinds meat on premises. Most of you probably aren't interested in shoving chunks of chuck into a meat grinder (or your Cuisinart!), yet you want to make great burgers yourself. One of the biggest differences between many home burgers and restaurant burgers is seasoning. You've got to add copious amounts of salt and pepper to your meat before frying the burgers. And yes, most places fry the burgers on a griddle rather than over an open flame. Frying allows the meat to retain more moisture. Also, don't choose the leanest ground beef you can find. Fat equals flavor and you'll need fat in order to make a big, greasy burger. For a healthy burger, use turkey. For a tasty burger, use nice, fatty ground chuck, season well and fry in a pan. When you're done with the burgers, brush the buns with butter and brown them in the same pan. And if that doesn't work, you can always go out to eat.
