Mega Hamburger One

Mega Hamburger One, originally uploaded by Marshall Astor. So it was hamburger night at home, and I stopped by the Numero Uno market to get some tortillas for general kitchen supply, and I picked up some additional items for burger night, and things kind of got out of hand. See the notes for details on the various layers. There are two keys to making and eating a burger like this successfully: 1) Proper burger meat - a proper burger, IMHO, is made with ground chuck, in a cast iron pan. The beef should be 25% or so fat by weight, lean beef or sirloin are inappropriate. And it should be damn near raw in the center. 2) Proper hand technique - once you pick this unstable tower up, maintinence of it's structural stability has transferred from gravity, adhesion and friction to your grip. Once you establish your kung fu grip on it, squeezing it down to mouth size, you must maintain that grip until there is nothing left to eat but sides and drippings. Use your free hand to maintain a minimal level of dignity and have a good napkin or stack of paper napkins at hand to keep your face, hand and arm respectable. - Marshall Astor