I think you would be able to tell! I think dry aging significantly increases the flavor of beef. I realize a burger isn't eaten as naked as steak, but I still think it would make a difference. Am I missing something?

I will post more on this topic once I have had a chance to talk to my butchers. My understanding is they cold hang the whole carcass before butchering into the different cuts. Our hamburger is ground after the cold hanging.

According to Alton Brown, the purpose of dry aging is to let much of the moisture in the meat evaporate, concentrating the "beefy" flavor of the flesh.

One of his episodes (can't remember which) he dry-aged beef for several days in his fridge using a perforated piece of tupperware.

No lettuce, tomato, or ketchup on my burger.

It does not leave the meat dry and tough. There is often an actual "dried out" outer layer that needs to be removed, but the meat inside gradually loses moisture. When people normally think of dry and tough meat they they are thinking of over-cooked meat. Since the meat is not cooked, there is no accompanying cell damage and no toughness.

One of my favorite lines from the movies: "Hamburger pills. Huge hamburger pills."

And spoken by one of the most beautiful women ever (may she rest in peach) Audrey Hepburn.

After a trip overseas the first meal that I want is "Hamburger pills".

My ultimate bugrer will pair well w/ Bresslers 2001 Cabernet: I use the American version of Kobe beef, Waygu from Colorado...a little more fat.


I call this a "Truffled Waygu burger w/ fois gras and grilled mango" I like to serve it w/ a balsamic pear ketchup.

1# ground Waygu strip (w fat)
3 Tbl. minced truffle
2 Tbl. truffle oil
2 egg yolks
2 Tbl. minced parsley
1 Tbl wortchestershire
S and P

6 1/4 inch thick slices fois gras

3 grilled slices mango

Add the first 7 ingriedients and make 3 burgers. enclose 2 fois gras slices in each burger cook burgers to MR which will just lightly soften the fois gras. Serve on bun w/ grilled mango and ketchup.

Pardon me whilst I clean off my keyboard!

Now that's a burger!

Adam,

You had me until the grilled mango....

i understand.....fruit is a great combo w/ the fattyness of the foie gras. and the grilled aspect of the mango subdues the flavors a bit. you could always scratch the fruit and add some nice sauteed morel or chantrelle mushrooms....kind of a "rossini" style burger.

Rockets in Chicago makes a fat burger w/ foie gras, that was pretty darn good. Best $16 burger I've ever had.

I'd sure like to try the db Bistro Moderne 'dbBurger' --

THE ORIGINAL db BURGER
Sirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs
Foie Gras and Black Tuffles
Served on a Parmesan Bun
with Pommes Soufflées or Pommes Frites

We have a Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach which will apparently make the db burger on request (it's not on the menu). Haven't ordered it yet.

It's a novelty item, worth trying if someone else is paying for it. I wouldn't bother ordering it again.