If I were like the character in “High Fidelity,” and had an obsession with compiling All-Time Top Five lists, these would be my All-Time Top 5 Food Aromas:
No. 5: a paper bag full of fresh wild strawberries;
No. 4: roasted juniper berries — the aroma of gin, of course;
No. 3: a roasted barnyard chicken on a bed of potatoes with garlic and rosemary;
No. 2: the smell of fresh baked bread.
And No. 1? There’s no smell richer and more appetizing than the smell of dry-aged beef. If you are lucky enough to shop in an old-time butcher shop, it is that overwhelmingly rich aroma of dry- aged beef that you smell the moment you step in the front door.
I’ve never shared our culture’s obsession with burgers; that is, until I tasted the Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern in New York’s Greenwich Village. I heard about the burger from an acquaintance, an underemployed freelance designer who lived a few blocks from the restaurant and invited me and my wife to a cocktail party at his place. He was a serious food nut: He had a lot of free time to cultivate his gourmandise; he was from the South, so he was always eating, or thinking about food; and he had an expensive meat grinder clamped to the counter of his well-equipped kitchen.
He first told me about the Black Label burger, which is made from a secret combination of meats, including a good amount of dry-aged beef. He had spent a great deal of time eating Black Label Burgers, and then trying to duplicate them at home. When I suggested the standard 8 0/20 proportion of lean meat to fat in a burger, he scoffed; “You need at least 30 percent fat,” he insisted; he’d even tried adding a little pork fat to it.
I was intrigued; we were now leaving the familiar terrain of the conventional hamburger and entering the world of the sausage.
It was close to midnight when we left his apartment and headed, of course to the Minetta Tavern. We’d already had three full meals that day, but word of mouth is a great appetite stimulant. We split the burger, which was served on a soft bun with caramelized onions. It was the best burger I’ve ever tasted — what made it exceptional was the aroma — you could, as chefs like to say, “taste the smell” of dry-aged beef.
John Broening cooks at Olivea and Duo restaurants in Denver.
Dry-Aged Beef Burgers
Serves 4
Ingredients
12 ounces beef brisket or shank
12 ounces dry aged beef, such as ribeye or top butt
4 ounces pork fat
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
If you have a grinder, start by dicing up the meat into 1-inch cubes and freezing it for about 30 minutes. Grind the meats and fat together, then make into 4 seven ounce patties. (I like to use a ring mold for this purpose.) Rub olive oil over the burgers, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, then add the patties. Brown well on one side, about 4 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side. With a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature — he burgers are delicious cooked medium (about 130 degrees). Remove burgers to a plate and allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving. Serve on a soft bun with remoulade sauce, lettuce and onion.
NOTES:
• If you don’t have a grinder, you can get freshly ground meat at Marczyk Fine Foods.
• If you are squeamish about cooking pork to 130 degrees F, the burger is still moist and delicious cooked to 145-150 degrees F.
• This burger needs to be sauteed; it will fall apart on the grill.
