Makes 8 burgers
3 pound ground chuck*
2 tablespoons Kikoman Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 slices sharp cheddar cheese (real cheddar, not American)
4 slices hot pepper cheese, each cut into half
* Ground chuck = 80% lean, 20% fat.
Don't use anything leaner than this. The fat is what makes them juicy and flavorful. For example, don't use ground sirloin or ground round.
Using a kitchen scale, make 8 blobs of ground chuck, 6 ounces each. If you don't have a scale, just divide the meat into 8 equal portions, handling the meat as little as possible.
Gently form the blobs into patties. Handle the meat as little as possible. I know I already said that, but I mean it! Don't mess with it or mix it around, just form it into patties. This is what makes the burgers tender. Overhandling (for example, mixing stuff into the ground meat before making patties) makes it tough and meatloaf-like.
Mix the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl.
Pour the olive oil into another small bowl.
Put the burgers onto a cookie sheet.
Using a silicone pastry brush, paint the burgers on one side with the soy sauce mixture. If you don't have a brush, pour about 1/2 teaspoon onto each burger and rub it in with your fingers.
Paint (or rub) each burger with olive oil.
Salt and pepper each burger.
Flip and repeat (soy sauce mixture, olive oil, salt, and pepper).
Let the burgers sit at room temperature while you get the fire ready. (Burgers can also be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, up to 24 hours before cooking. Bring to room temp before continuing.)
Start your gas or charcoal grill. The grill is ready for cooking when you have a "3 mississippi fire": Hold your hand about 6 inches above the grate. After a count of 3 seconds (one mississippi, two mississippi...), the heat should force you to snatch your hand away.
Put the burgers on the grill. Cover and cook for 4 minutes.
Flip and cook another 3 minutes, covered.
Top each burger with one slice of cheddar and 1/2 slice of hot pepper cheese
Cover and cook one minute more.
Remove the burgers from the grill and let them rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before eating. (Letting the burgers rest insures that less juice runs out of the meat when you cut or bite into it.)
The Johnson Family Cookbook