Steak Tartare-Flavored Burgers

Steak Tar tare-Flavored Burgers
Makes four 6-ounce burgers

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds freshly ground chuck
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup diced gherkins
1/4 cup diced shallots
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 teaspoon minced pickled green peppercorns (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Buy the right meat. For juicy burgers, get ground chuck with a fat content of at least 18%. Lean and extra-lean meat make tough, dry burgers. Also, the more freshly ground the meat is, the more tender and flavorful the burger: If your store has butchers, ask them to grind the meat fresh for you. (Or just grind your own, following our no-fuss method, see below.)

2. Mix in your seasonings very, very gently. The more you handle the meat, the tougher your burger will be. In a large bowl, pull the meat apart into small chunks, add egg yolks, gherkins, shallots, capers, peppercorns if using, and salt and toss gently with fingers spread apart until loosely mixed.

3. Use wet hands to form patties. This keeps your hands from getting sticky. It also allows the meat to come together faster and prevents over handling.

4. Make patties thinner in the center. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and form patties about 3/4 inch thick at the edges and 1/2 inch thick in the center. They'll shrink and even out when cooking.

5. Keep meat cold until it goes on the grill. Put the patties in the fridge while the grill heats up. This helps more of the flavor-carrying fat stay in the meat.

6. Use a clean, well-oiled, preheated grill. Bits of debris encourage sticking, as does an un-oiled surface and too low a temperature; you want your burgers to quickly sizzle, firm up, and release from the grill.

7. Keep grill at a steady high heat (you can hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above grill level for 2 to 3 seconds). If using charcoal, you want ash-covered coals to produce even heat. With a gas grill, keep the lid down while cooking; with a charcoal grill, leave the lid off.

8. Flip burgers once and at the right time. Constant turning will toughen and dry out meat, and if you flip too soon, burgers will stick. Cook 2 minutes per side for rare, 3 for medium-rare, 4 for medium, and 5 for well-done.

9. Don't press on the burgers while they're cooking. The juice that seeps out holds most of the flavor and moisture.

10. Let burgers rest a few minutes before eating. This allows them to finish cooking and allows their juices, which have collected on the surface during grilling, to redistribute throughout patty.