Monday, June 29, 2009

caffeination cue: coffee-rubbed all-beef burgers


There's something comforting 'bout sharing your food-obsessed life with food-obsessed people. Not that I don't value introducing my inexperienced comrades to a surprising platter of balut or tender heap of veal cheeks, but I do love how some people just get it.

My best friend called a few weeks back while paging through the July issue of Bon Appetit to tell me that we must make the coffee-rubbed burgers. Simple, yet hopping with my daily go-to staple, there was no doubt that this transformed barbecued patty would now be my idea of all-beef perfection.

Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburgers
Makes 8

Ingredients:
8 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 pound ground chuck
8 slices smoked provolone
8 potato-bread hamburger

Begin by frying your slaps of applewood bacon. Being health-conscious girls, after preparing the crispy bacon and allowing the grease to soak into paper towels, we removed a large majority of the fat pieces (sorry, we're terrible).

Prepare the coffee rub and sprinkle 1 teaspoon on each patty. (We sprinkled a teaspoon on each side for a more accented java flavor.)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat stove top or preferably, a grill, at medium heat and begin barbecuing the bold beef. Each burger will take about four minutes, each side, to show the charring affect. Add two slices of bacon per round; coat each with one slice of smoked provolone. Remove once gooey and gorgeous, and place on a toasted potato bun. Pair with your favorite complementing condiments, including a dollop of a decent barbecue sauce. (BA suggests their Texas Barbecue Sauce.)

Now, in perfect company and caffeination, chowdown.