Premium hamburger isn’t just hamburger!

Hamburger doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. Some people think of hamburger as ground up meat that didn’t make the cut during steak production. While this is a partial truth, it does not mean that this meat is without its benefits. A long time ago, some clever devil figured out that grinding these small pieces of trim is an efficient, and tasty, way to utilize peaces meat that are too small to be sold elsewhere … ”hamburger” was born. Hamburger IS NOT hamburger or premium hamburger. There are different grades, grinds, lean/fat ratios, preseason burger, heck, there are even special blends and different types of beef to deliver a specific burger experience. And that’s just the meat … Taking it a few steps further, there are other things to consider when building a burger. Buns, topping – from cheese to anchovies – condiments, how the burger is cooked … all these things come together when the first bite is taken.

When you start with better beef, all of a sudden it makes sense to start paying attention to other details. One of the biggest “burger fouls” that we see is chronic overcooking. Lots of folks will prepare a steak medium/rare and enjoy it without worry, but won’t cook a burger without turning it into a hockey puck because they are afraid that there might be some bug or bacteria living in the ground beef. Given the fact that our Premium steak hamburger is made from steak trim, there is much less concern about e-coli contamination. So go ahead and cook that FUSION premium hamburger burger to medium rare and ENJOY it.

The trick on the grill is to wait until you see juice beginning to rise and pool on the surface of the patty, then flip and repeat. A properly cooked burger should drip off your elbows when you eat it – okay, maybe not THAT juicy, but it should be juicy, not dry. Buns are integral in building the perfect burger – while the “ball park” type buns are fine for a backyard BBQ and quarter pound patties – when you graduate to a half pound FUSION patty, the ‘ol 5200, you need a real bun. Select a bun that is large enough diameter to hold the burger, then pick one that has some flavor; ciabatta, sour dough, etc are great choices. The bun needs to hold, and hold up to, the burger patty. When it comes to other toppings, don’t be afraid to try different flavors, but make sure they accent the burger. Too many “Chef’s” completely cover up the flavor of a good burger with strange reductions and ridiculous amounts and combinations of toppings. Stick to high quality and remember “balance is key”

Chef’s Notes:

• Not all burger is created equal
• Cook or grill until juice starts to develop on top of burger. Flip, repeat and eat. (Approx. 150 F internal temp.)
• Bun = Burger Patty
• Focus on quality of topping, not quantity
• Don’t over cook – burgers are supposed to be juicy

What is “Perfect”? Nebraska Star® Beef FUSION premium hamburger is different from other burger. Very different. FUSION ground beef is designed to deliver a premium beef experience from the ground up (no pun intended.)

We start with steak trim from Angus and Wagyu beef. Steak trim is 3 things that regular trim isn’t: 1. Aged 2. Leaner 3. Flavorful A good burger needs a little fat to help bind the ground beef together and also to help in the cooking process. It also adds flavor. Instead of using 50/50 or “cap trim” (fat located between the hide and meat) to fatten up our burger we use the naturally occurring intramuscular fat in Wagyu Beef Cattle.

Wagyu Angus blend – Smaller the patty the hotter and quicker you cook it! Thicker burgers require a slower, longer cook time.

Wagyu beef, or American Style Kobe has long been prized for its rich decadent flavor … but anyone who has ever tried it will tell you, a burger made from exclusively Wagyu Beef shrinks A LOT when you cook it – this is due to that awesome intramuscular fat cooking off. We learned through trial and error that something special happened when we blended our aged Angus and Wagyu steak trim. The flavor is truly unique, and this isn’t just something we cooked up to try and sell more burger. We honestly spent the time to develop a better burger.