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Grilling Goes Gourmet

The hamburger changed Joe Kaplan’s life.

Not a specific hamburger, but the concept of this American classic, upgraded. After discovering the book Burger Meisters, in which Culinary Institute of America graduates from around the country offer unique takes on the humble burger, it hit him. Everyone loves a backyard barbecue. Why not a restaurant that offers an urbane version of this summer staple?

First he found a city-lover’s idyllic version of the backyard: a rooftop patio, cozy with the Basilica of St. Mary and blessed with an immediate view of the Minneapolis skyline. Then he trained his culinary skill on the burgers. A standard half-pound of chuck anchors a slew of menu offerings that wander the globe.

Kaplan’s instincts were right. His restaurant, Joe’s Garage, turns 10 this June. “We’ve been doing the gourmet burger thing since we opened,” he says. “Burgers make sense. [They’re] the quintessential American food.” Kaplan’s menu features numerous takes on the old-standby. The Reuben Burger, for example, is topped with a mixture of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream. For international flavor, Kaplan seasons beef Korean-barbecue style and tops it with kimchee, creating the unique Korean Bulgogi Beef Burger.

Though the details surrounding its inception are fuzzy, one thing’s for sure: When cooked ground beef found its way between two slices of bread, summer forever changed. Today the good old hamburger has found its way beyond backyards and diners into some of the Twin Cities’ swankiest restaurants. The lunch menu at Vincent in Minneapolis has a chichi take on the classic Juicy Lucy: top quality ground beef surrounds smoked Gouda and shredded short ribs braised in tamarind and tomato, served on a brioche-like egg bun.

Just up the road from Joe’s, Bar Lurçat serves mini burgers with red wine shallot butter (see recipes) that are legendary among late-night sophisticates. Joe’s Garage is no longer unique in regularly offering more than a few options beyond ground beef topped with cheddar, including pork, falafel, and corn. That’s right, the burger doesn’t have to stop with the beef.

The Longfellow Grill in Minneapolis, known for its comfortable twists on familiar foods, woos adventurous burger-lovers with options such as an award-winning jalapeño-laced turkey burger and a Greek-influenced lamb burger with tzatziki sauce (see recipes)—Chef Kevin Wencel’s favorite. “Yeah, it’s a little off the beaten path,” he says, “but it’s still just a burger.”

This familiarity is exactly why it’s easy for weekend grillers to go gourmet, too. It’s likely you have the basics down—start with the freshest ingredients possible (both chefs recommend fresh, coarse-ground meat) and a clean, hot grill. To avoid getting a domed shape, Wencel suggests forming the patties with a concave center that will fill out as the burger cooks, creating a flat patty. Use real charcoal (instead of briquettes) or hardwoods, if possible.

Wencel recommends establishing two zones of heat, as he does even on his home grill. Over the hottest part, sear grill marks into the burger, then move it aside to slow-cook. Kaplan, who teaches burger-making classes at Kitchen Window in Minneapolis and Cooks of Crocus Hill in St. Paul, says never, ever press burgers into the grill. It releases the juices that make them so tasty.

When experimenting with burger recipes, Kaplan advises you think about what works in your typical burger and how to deliver it in a different way, taking cues from regional and international cuisines. In the Spicy Asian Pork Burger (see recipes) at Joe’s, for example, salt comes from the soy sauce and pepper from the chili paste. Asian coleslaw replaces the standard lettuce and onion.

Wencel’s advice: “Keep it simple. You’re not trying to replicate a Big Mac,” he says. “Choose a few good, complementary flavors—one or two things to go on top of the burger, and then a sauce.”

It’s hard to go wrong with a sizzling grill and the summer sun overhead. After all, everyone loves a backyard barbecue.

Berit Thorkelson is a St. Paul writer.