Zuni Café’s Hamburger

Made to exacting standards, the hamburger at Zuni Café, in San Francisco, is legendary. First, grass-fed beef is salted well in advance of grinding, which gives the meat its succulence. Grilled over coals and flipped three times to prevent it from overcharring or becoming tough, the patty is rested, like a roast. It is then served on a toasted square of rosemary focaccia, smeared with handmade aioli and accompanied by Zuni’s acclaimed house pickles: fuchsia-red onion rings and turmeric-tinged sliced zucchini. With all the attention to detail, you’ll see why a Zuni burger sells for $18. It is wonderful on its own, but toppings like Shelburne Farms Cheddar, Bayley Hazen blue cheese, grilled onions or portobello mushroom are also available, and most customers can’t resist a heaping plate of shoestring potatoes alongside. It’s perfectly possible to make these burgers at home, but know that the full project involves several recipes, so it’s probably best to spread the work out over a few days.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PATTIES:
1 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, well marbled
1 generous teaspoon kosher salt

TO SERVE:
 Focaccia (see recipe)
 Small-batch aioli (see recipe)
 Red oak leaf or other lettuce leaves, for garnish
 Zucchini pickles (see recipe)
 Red onion pickles (see recipe) 

Cut meat into 1-inch chunks or strips. Sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat well, and refrigerate, covered, for about 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

Assemble your meat grinder, using the grinder plate with 3/16-inch holes. Chill the grinder in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes or refrigerate for several hours. With motor set to medium speed, drop cold meat into grinding tube and let the machine pull pieces through (resist forcing the meat through with pushing tool) into a chilled bowl. Grind the meat twice. (You may also hand-chop the meat in small batches or use a food processor with a very sharp blade, but the patties will be a bit more fragile.)

Working quickly, form 6-ounce patties by hand, first making spheres, then flattening them to a 3/4-inch thickness. Press patties slightly thinner in the middle. (This ensures an even thickness in the finished burgers.) Keep patties refrigerated until ready to cook.

If grilling, prepare your coals. Grill patties over medium-hot coals, flipping them three times to make sure they don’t char. A cold 6-ounce patty will take about 9 minutes for a rosy medium-rare. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat, as you would a roast, before serving. If using a preheated cast-iron pan over medium heat, cook burgers for about 10 minutes, also flipping three times, plus resting.

To serve, warm a piece of focaccia for each burger and split the bread horizontally. Smear the bottom half with a dab of aioli, the add lettuce leaves and the cooked burger. Top with the other half of the focaccia. Serve with zucchini pickles and red onion pickles.

Zuni Café’s Small-Batch Aioli

INGREDIENTS

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves

 Salt

1 egg yolk

½ cup mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Cut garlic into a few pieces, and pound them in a mortar. Add a pinch of salt, which will act as an abrasive and help you smash the last solid bits of garlic.

Add the egg yolk and stir with the pestle to combine the mixture. Using the pestle, work in oil, a cautious trickle or a few drops at first, then gradually increasing the flow as the yolk becomes tacky and opaque.

Slowly stir in remaining oil, or as much as you can. As the yolk reaches saturation, the mixture will make a satisfying clucking sound (The aioli will be quite thick at this point.)

Stir in a few drops of water. The water will whiten and soften the aioli, allowing you to add a little more oil, in case the garlic seems too aggressive when you taste the aioli. You’ll need the water in any event, or the sauce will be too stiff. (Stirring in 1/2 teaspoon water will allow you to incorporate as much as 1/2 cup more oil.) Stop adding oil when the sauce has the consistency you like. Taste and adjust salt, and thin again with a little more water, if necessary.

Tip

If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can stir up a little aioli using a small soup bowl and a salad fork, following the same method. Smash your garlic with the side of a knife or grate it with a Microplane.

Zuni Café’s Red Onion Pickles

INGREDIENTS

3 cups distilled white vinegar

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken

 A few cloves

 A few allspice berries

1 dried red chile

1 star anise pod (optional)

2 bay leaves

 A few black peppercorns

1 pound firm red onions (about 2 medium)

Make the brine: Combine vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice berries, chile, star anise, bay leaves and peppercorns in a 4-quart (or larger) nonreactive pot at least 10 inches in diameter. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Cover pot, turn off heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Peel the onions, trim ends and slice crosswise into 3/8-inch thick slices. Separate into rings, discarding any green centers or leathery outer rings.

Bring the brine back to a boil. Add onions and turn off heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to submerge onions. Leave to steep, covered, until mixture cools.

Transfer onions and brine to pint jars and refrigerate for at least a day before serving.