An American Tradition
by Willie Victor
For many of us, summer just isn’t summer unless we’ve had barbequed hamburgers and hotdogs with our friends and family. What could be more sumptuous than a plate of grilled meat, people to share it with, and a sky full of fireworks?
Here are some tips to ensure the people you love get the healthiest meal.
When buying a hot dog, always purchase from a quality meat market or a high-end grocer such as Whole Foods. Check the ingredient label carefully for:
- Soy – used as a binder
- Phosphates – the same ones used in detergents, which may lead to hyperactivity/attention deficit disorder, eczema, asthma, hay fever, neurodermatitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers and migraines
- Dextrose – another word for refined cornstarch, which spikes one’s blood sugar
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – a flavor enhancer, a chemical that affects the nervous system
- Nitrites – a preservative which reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, especially in children, and is potentially carcinogenic
Ground beef, on the other hand, cannot contain, by law, any added water, fillers, or binders. There are things to look for, though, when buying hamburger meat.
Choose, whenever possible, grass-fed beef. A diet of grain turns a cow’s rumen into an ideal habitat for the bacterium Escherichia coli (e. coli), virulent strains of which can cause illness and even death. E. coli cannot survive in the gut rumen of a grass-fed cow.
Free-range cows are also a much safer choice. Feed lot cattle are confined and eat while standing in their manure. They are given doses of antibiotics to survive this environment. Our current resistance to antibiotics may be that we are unknowingly eating antibiotics in our meat.
To get the most flavor, select ground chuck, as it comes from an area of the cow that gets more exercise, which gives it more taste. Flavor comes from fat, so be sure it has enough. In general, the brighter the red color, the leaner the ground beef.
Regular ground beef has 30% fat; ground chuck has 15-20%; ground round, 10%; and ground sirloin, 3%. Ground beef is the most economical of these, and if you’re looking for a cut with lower fat content, you can use super lean ground beef, which has only 7-10% fat. Cooking reduces the fat content of ground beef, often as much as 50%, but does not change the amount of protein, iron, or cholesterol. Broiling reduces the fat more than pan-frying, but less so for leaner cuts.
Angus beef has an upscale reputation and price, and although some feel it has more flavor, it is not superior nutritionally from other kinds of beef. It comes from a breed of cattle formerly called Aberdeen Angus, the most commonly-used breed in American beef production as it has the most meat on the bone.
If you pair your burger or dog with a salad of summer vegetables and take a seat outdoors, you’ll have one of your best meals all season. Enjoy!
Hey Tom, Thanks for the info, but would you give some tips for non-beef/pork eaters on veggie and/or turkey/chicken burgers (what to look for, etc.)? Is there anything different to check out? I love you and your wonderful Hippness!
xxoo Linda
The buns in your photo look like wheat buns? It would be helpful to have information in this article about gluten free buns.
Tracy,
Yes, thanks. The photos I had of GF buns looked terrible, so I chose one that looked closest to the GF brioche-style buns I could find. Didn’t mean to mislead. I do have three links for GF buns in my Best Burger Ever article in the same newsletter. They look more like the ones in the photo. Hope that helps.
Here a link to the article: http://www.hippkitchen.com/recipes/best-burger-ever
Tom
Hi Linda,
Yes, I’m sorry I did not include tips for the non-beef/pork eaters. We’re trying to make our newsletter simple and fast to read and choosing a direction usually leaves someone out. I’d have to do a recipe for beef, pork, chicken, turkey and veggie to cover most of the bases. I would say, though, fundamentally, the same rules hold for turkey and chicken burgers. Grind you own (or develop a good relationship with your local butcher and have he/she grind them to your specifications) so YOU can control the fat to meat ratios (80% meat, 20%fat), as well as ensure a healthier product (some pre-ground, pre-packaged products contain parts and leavings). To follow the Thomas Keller direction, as an example, you could go for a combination of chicken thighs and breasts, making sure the fat content is controlled (i.e. 1/2 pound skinless thigh meat, 1/2 pound skinless breast meat, 1/4 pound chicken fat – just feeze what you don’t use). Not mashing the end product when forming patties also leaves them juicier. Then, once you have a good patty, you can get as creative as you want with toppings. Hope that helps.
Thanks for loving me/us!