Prime Meats Delikat-Essen and Provisions, Whole Foods Bowery, National Hamburger Month

Prime Meats Delikat-Essen & Provisions
http://www.frankspm.com/pmdp.html
465 Court St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Whole Foods Market Bowery
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/bowery/
95 East Houston St
New York, NY 10002

NATIONAL HAMBURGER MONTH
Day 29

THE CONQUEST
Believe it or not, after 29 days of eating Burgers all around town, the subject gets a little stale but it was my mission for National Hamburger Month to eat 31 Burgers in 31 days and I am going to do it. To keep things fresh I have eaten Cheeseburger Spring Rolls, Turkey Burgers, Cupcake Burgers, Veggie Burgers, Mini Burgers, Fast Food Burgers, Grass-fed Burgers, Drunk Burgers, Fancy Burgers, Home delivery Burgers and more, more, more.

With only a few days left, I am faced with the question of what kind of Burger have I not eaten? The answer; MY OWN! After building up some serious hunger while performing my Reverendesque duties for my friend Andrew and Shawn’s wedding (yes, I really am ordained), I planned a little holiday weekend BBQ back at my apartment.

Yeah, that’s right. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is or moreover, put money into a store, bring home the proverbial Beef and showemwhatIgot…into my mouth. I got grill skill baby, make no mistake and for all the standards I hold all of these restaurants and Chefs too, I hold myself to the same. In fact, one of the major reasons why I pushed to get the apartment I live in was so I could live in Manhattan but still cook out on my grill.

The number 1 rule and I mean the golden rule, is used quality product. I don’t care how badly you burn something, a burnt quality something is better than a burnt frozen and processed piece of crap. Know what you are buying, know who you are buying it from and know where to find these places if you already don’t. I’m not saying quality product doesn’t exist at your local mega-grocery, but you’ll just have to look harder. Fortunately here in NYC, we have a billion great options, all unique in their own way.

THE BURGER
I recently had to the chance to check out Prime Meats, a delicious farm to table restaurant located in Brooklyn who have one damn delicious Burger. With the popularity of their food and a desire to not waste, they opened up a “Delikat-Essen” right next door where you can purchase the same meats they have become well known for serving in their restaurant. You can trust that Prime Meats is going to sell you high-quality product, their reputation stands upon it. (You can also trust Jim FYI!)

My friend Jim, who is no stranger to my cooking, stopped by Prime Meats to pick up a few items on way to my Memorial Day Eve BBQ. Jim showed up with both a Hot and Sweet Faicco’s Italian Sausage as well as two Pat LaFrieda formed Burger Patties. I cooked them to a nice medium-rare over just the right heat, bottomed (it’s my belief that the Beef should always be placed a top the Cheese) with Cheddar and served in a fresh Onion Roll.

We’re most certainly spoiled here in NYC. With this many people with different tastes, desires and needs, our city can support all kinds of diversified commerce. It’s a town where places like Prime Meats can not only survive but also prosper. However, for a big of a city this is, we still have our share of chain business and one of them that you can absolutely trust to bring you quality is Whole Foods Market. With 300 stores and growing, this grocery chain promises to bring all natural, organic foods & high quality foods to as many markets as they can. You may not need to know where every piece of Meat, Fruit, Dairy or Grain in their stores come from but you can trust them to sell you great product.

We have several locations in NYC but my favorite happens to be their Bowery store which is located on just that side of the LES. In particular, their beer room has an amazing array of diverse and unique beers, as well as the ingredients to make your own. So for someone like me who happens to particularly enjoy pairing craft beer with tasty foods, it’s a one-stop shop.

For today’s BBQ needs, I wanted to put on a little show for my friends and let them enjoy a full Rev grill experience. I stopped into their deli-counter and picked up some freshly ground and packed ground Beef patties as well as some freshly sliced Pancetta, Smoked Gouda and Potato Rolls. I grilled the patties and when they were about 75% done, I flipped them for the first time and placed a slice of the Cheese, followed by the Pork on top. When the Burgers were about 90% cooked to a nice and red medium-rare center, I CAREFULLY flipped them and bottom grilled the Pancetta. If you are going to try this, it takes patience, precision and care. I suggest a wooden spatula which will stick less to surfaces. It may seem like an odd pairing but the sweetness of the Potato Roll against the smoky Cheese work well together. Using a leaner cut of Beef, in this case 85/15, works because of the fatty Pancetta. As it cooks down and melts with the Gouda, the union makes for a juicy Burger that won’t need any sauces or condiments. You can ask my friends, this Burger was amazing.

The moral of the story, if you start with good product, you’ll end with good product. If you aren’t local to a great place like Prime Meats nor are you blessed with a Whole Foods in your town, ask around, I’m sure there’s a great local butcher who’ll set you up right.

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
411 Burgers

May 29, 2011 – 9:12 pm