This is the second day I am featuring Anderson Cafe in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Here is an ad I found for them and its source.
This must have been the ad from the newspaper. I do wish I could have known what year this was. I really have no idea!
Today I am featuring a double cheeseburger. Anderson Cafe called it the “Big Buck”. Buck (not Anderson by the way) was the nick name of the owner of the cafe. The burger suspiciously looked very much like the new-fangled “Big Mac” that you-know-where was debuting. The burger at the cafe, however was much more substantial.
What is my twist on the “big buck?” Freshly ground meat, of course. I based my method on Alton Brown’s Good Eats. His episode “Burger of the Gods” tells of a simple method to grind your own hamburger using a food processor, then cooking it. I followed his method almost exactly. My mistake? Using all chuck instead of half chuck and half sirloin. I should have trimmed the meat more too. The flavor was to die for, but it was a little chewy. Sirloin and better trimming would have taken care of that.
Cut the chunks about an inch or so big, and trim off more of the fat then you see here.
After ten one second pulses, (say “one thousand”), the grind should look like this. You do not want to turn it into pate.
I then weighed each portion into six-ounce portions. (Alton says to use five.) I put them into my new handy-dandy patty former. Sweet!
On to a flat-topped griddle, to keep things authentic, and a sprinkle of kosher salt and nothing else! Not even pepper!
Four minutes per side, and don’t guess-use a timer, for medium rare. Yes, you can do medium rare when you grind your own! Add a minute or so if you want it medium. And like Alton says, if you want it well done–just don’t bother.
I cut a Kraft Singles cheese in half diagonally to make a triangle and divided it between the pattys. This is in keeping with the Anderson Cafe style. I remember a funny story when the cook wanted to use a better type of cheddar instead of the American cheese that melts so well. Cheddar isn’t as “pretty” when it melts. The waitress brought back a cheeseburger and told the cook, “My customer say this cheese is older than you are!” (She may have been in her forties or fifties.) Well the cheese wasn’t old, but she went back to using the processed cheese. I, who prefer pure and real ingredients, might use a different cheese for as many things as I can, but sometime you gotta stick with the classics.
I toasted a sesame seed bun, then made a home-made (sort of) sauce with mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickle relish. I was very generous with it, and it was delicious! I used a “skinny” bun to put between the pattys. I am ashamed to say, I ate that whole thing. It was so good!
I want to remind you again, that if you live in North East Iowa in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area, I can come to your house and be your personal chef. I will prepare five meals with up to two sides per meal and store them in your refrigerator or freezer for you to finish when you are ready to eat them. Visit my about page for prices and more information. This would make a great Christmas gift!
Up next: Blue Cheese mousse over roast beef sandwich! Intrigued? You should be!
The Fairy Foodmother 