That’s the slaw. It’s tangy-mustardy-spicy crunchness in a bowl. It’s a bit in yo’ face by itself, but when slathered on a juicy, rich beef patty… hello flavor party in your mouth.
And now let’s talk about grinding your own designer burgers. Why? Because it’s cool. And right now, artisan/small-batch/DIY is all the rage. And we want to act cool and be a part of the rage.
You have 2 options for creating your own DIY burger. First, have the butcher grind the meat for you. That’ll probably work for you if you: 
-have an awesome butcher
-have a good relationship with your butcher
-are a butcher
-know somebody that is a butcher
But your local dingy grocery store meat department probably isn’t going to do it for you. And if they do, that’s amazing and you live in a much nicer, caring part of the world then NYC. But NYC still rocks and I wouldn’t trade it for your super nice meat department butcher anyway.
The other option, and the more fun option, is to grind the meat at home with your KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment. Just make sure you use the larger “coarse” dial.
And a word of warning… sometimes the grinder likes to splurt out some meat juice. Yea, kinda gross. We just held a disposable plastic cup close to the dial (with enough room for the meat to fall out into the bowl) and that caught all the juices. Make sure you plan accordingly. I’d hate for your kitchen to look like a scene from Dexter.
And remember, you don’t want to pack the meat tight. That’s one way to guarantee a compact, tough burger. Handle it with care. Treat it with some TLC. Talk sweet nothings into its ear (don’t do that).
And do yourself a favor and make a tiny depression in the middle of each patty with your thumb. Burgers tend to puff in the middle as they cook, so that indentation helps to make the patty stay flat.
And then boom, cook up those burgers and you have yourself a Fat Tyler.
Now, for it to be a certified Fat Tyler burger, you need a couple things:
-a mix of sirloin, short rib, and brisket for your burger blend
-the spicy-tangy-mustardy slaw in the recipe below
-a brioche bun
-melted cheddar or american cheese
-cooked to a perfect medium-rare… medium maybe. Maybe.
Nothing more, nothing less. The man is particular about his burger.
And listen, for the record, no… it’s not called a Fat Tyler because he’s fat. That’s just a complete coincidence. This burger is actually Tyler’s riff on Michael Symon’s famed burger, the Fat Doug.
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The Fat Tyler Burger
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
A seriously juicy burger made with three different grinds of beef. Top it with homemade coleslaw for the ultimate backyard barbecue.
Ingredients
- 0.5 lbs (227 g) ground sirloin
- 0.5 lbs (227 g) ground brisket
- 0.5 lbs (227 g) ground boneless short rib
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices Cheddar or American cheese, medium thick
- 1.5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 brioche or egg buns, split
- 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thin
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Cut meat into approximate 2″ cubes.
- Grind the meat using a food grinder on the coarse setting into a medium bowl.
- Gently combine the ground meat, taking care not to compact it.
- Form the meat into 4 equal-sized patties and season liberally with Kosher salt.
- If using a grill: Grill the burgers over high heat until medium rare, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese to each burger during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Brush buns with butter and grill until lightly toasted.
- If using a cast iron skillet: Preheat the skillet over high heat until very hot. Place butter in the pan and cook burgers over high heat until medium rare, about 3-5 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese to each burger during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Remove burgers and add buns to toast slightly.
- Let burgers rest for a few minutes.
- Place the burgers onto buns and top with coleslaw.
- For the Coleslaw
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and salt until fully combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cabbage, garlic, onion, and jalapeno.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss gently to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Notes
- For optimal flavor, allow the ground beef mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before forming patties.
- To prevent dry burgers, use a meat thermometer to ensure they reach your desired internal temperature.
- Substitute your favorite cheese for cheddar or American; Gruyere or pepper jack would be delicious!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One burger
- Calories: 700
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 1000
- Fat: 45
- Saturated Fat: 20
- Unsaturated Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 40
- Cholesterol: 150
Frequently Asked Questions
What cuts of beef work best for grinding your own burger meat?
Chuck is the standard choice because of its fat-to-lean ratio, around 80/20. Mixing in a small amount of brisket or short rib adds more richness and depth of flavor.
Do I need a meat grinder, or can I use a food processor?
A food processor works if you cut the meat into small cubes and pulse in short bursts to avoid a paste-like texture. Keep the meat and processor bowl very cold throughout.
How cold should the meat be before grinding?
The meat should be close to freezing, around 30 to 34F. Partially freezing it for 20 to 30 minutes before grinding keeps the fat from smearing and produces a cleaner grind.
When you grind the meat you should have it as cold as possible – not frozen but not far off – it is not a bad idea to chill it again after cutting it into chunks – the meat will grind better and I don’t think you will get the squirty meat juice problem either. You can also chill the screw, blades and plate of the grinder itself. If the meat is really cold you will be able to grind it up more finely than the coarsest setting. After you have tried making your own burgers you could try making your own sausages!