Hamburger Royale

"I had a great, juicy, flavorful hamburger at my friend Jean-Claude’s house, and he told me he had made it with beef brisket. I tried it myself with great success. I buy brisket from the thick, or fatty, end, which has more flavor than the flat end. If you do not have a meat grinder (I have one that attaches to my KitchenAid mixer), ask the butcher to grind the meat for you. I sometimes buy a whole brisket and grind some of it, keeping the rest to braise slowly.

"I make hamburgers that weigh about 5 ounces each and cook them on a grill or in a grill pan on top of the stove. Do not press on the hamburgers as they cook, or you will lose the juices.

"The ciabatta rolls available at my market make great hamburger buns; I usually toast them and rub them with garlic. I also like to put cheese on my hamburgers—Comté, Beaufort, or Gruyère. I arrange the cheese on top of the finished burgers and then run them under the broiler to melt it. I make 8 patties and freeze half of them for another time; you can halve the beef quantity if you prefer." --Jacques Pépin

Recipe: Hamburger Royale

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One 2 1/2-pound piece beef brisket, ground
4 ciabatta rolls (about 3 ounces each and 4 inches across), split
1 large garlic clove
4 slices (about 4 ounces) Comté, Beaufort, or Gruyère cheese
About 6 leaves iceberg lettuce
4 thin slices mild onion, such as Vidalia or Maui
4 thick slices ripe tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ketchup, mustard, and/or mayonnaise, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

Divide the ground meat into 8 portions of about 5 ounces each and form them into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap 4 of the patties and freeze them for future use.
At serving time, heat a grill until hot or preheat a grill pan for about 3 minutes. Preheat the broiler.
Toast the rolls on the grill or in a toaster oven and rub them with the garlic.
Arrange the hamburgers on the hot grill or in the grill pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Put 1 slice of cheese on each patty and run the patties under the hot broiler (about 2 inches from the heat source) for 1 minute.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on top of the bun bottoms, add the onions and tomatoes, and sprinkle with a little of the salt and pepper. Top with the burgers, sprinkle on the remaining salt and pepper, and finish with the tops of the buns. Enjoy as is or with ketchup, mustard, and/or mayonnaise.