9 Tips And Tricks For Making An Amazing Burger, According To Chef Daniel Boulud

And no, you don't need to use foie gras to make an incredible hamburger.

Don't just settle for any ground beef. At db Bistro Moderne, they grind their own beef right in the kitchen. Obviously, that isn't an option for the casual at-home cook, but you can easily ask your local butcher or even the butcher counter at your go-to market to do the grinding for you.

I watched Michael Balboni, the executive chef at db Bistro Moderne, place the foie gras and the short rib on top of a long piece of plastic wrap. He then wraps the filling into a perfect cylinder and puts the log of meat in the freezer. Then, when he's ready to assemble the burgers, he cuts the frozen meat into slices and buries a slice in the center of each patty. Not only is the frozen filling easy to work with, but it ensures each burger comes out the proper shape and size.

Any really delicious burger is served on bread to match. Chef Boulud explained that db Bistro Moderne bakes its rolls from scratch. They call it Pain de Mie — a sort of pain au lait-meets-brioche — which is enhanced with plenty of butter and eggs and then sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Then, the buns are toasted before the burgers are assembled. Realistically, you're probably not going to bake your buns from scratch, but you can opt for freshly baked brioche or something that's a step-up from your typical store-bought burger buns.

You might think that the db burger is so decadent already that it doesn't need any condiments, but condiments are important because they add complexity. I watched as Chef Boulud schmeared a layer of Dijon mustard on each side of the bun. Next goes a spoonful of homemade horseradish and tomato compote (basically a homemade ketchup). The hot and peppery taste of the horseradish combined with the acid from the tomato relish and the creamy, slightly vinegar-y taste of the mustard play off one another and accentuate the delightfully greasy, umami burger.

You might think of burgers as a barbecue classic meant to be grilled (and sure, they can be), but Chef Boulud chooses to cook his burger in a cast iron skillet that is so well seasoned and smooth you could basically scramble eggs in it. He sears the patty for a few minutes on each side before transferring it to a 350°F oven. He cooks it for three minutes on each side in the oven and then lets it rest for five minutes before assembling the burger. The final result: A perfect patty cooked medium-rare so that it's slightly pink and tender on the inside but ever so crispy when you bite into it.