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When Food Network star Bobby Flay told Today that his go-to comfort food is a cheeseburger, the chef’s die-hard fans probably weren’t surprised. After all, he’s cooked them countless times on his many cooking shows. One of the crown jewels in his current culinary empire is Bobby’s Burgers, a chain of fast-casual restaurants that not only carries his name but also realizes his vision for the perfect cheeseburger. It’s also the dish Flay would choose as his last meal. And, as he stated simply on the Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Burgers,” “I am a burger guy.”
Of course, having eaten and grilled so many, there is a distinctive way Flay likes his burgers cooked. It starts with the cheese. The one type of cheese Flay won’t use on his burgers is cheddar. Instead, he prefers American, but will occasionally use fontina or Monterey Jack. He also insists on two slices of cheese and always ensures they’re fully melted. “I want the cheese to be part of the burger,” he said in a YouTube video of his top five burger recipes.
For the burger itself, Flay likes to use chuck or sirloin that is 80% lean and 20% fat. This ground beef ratio, also preferred by Gordon Ramsay, is critical for making sure the burgers are both juicy and flavorful. Flay seasons his patties well but simply — with salt and pepper only — so that it forms a crust on the outside. The meat should also be flipped just once, never smashed with a spatula (lest you let all the juices run out), and done medium.
Flay is a fan of a crunchified cheeseburger
Bobby Flay also likes his cheeseburgers “crunchified” with potato chips, as he told Melanie Dunea, author of “My Last Supper: The Next Course.” This topping adds salt and flavor, and is exactly how Bobby’s Burgers serves the Crunchburger. In general, though, Flay does not like fancy burger upgrades like overseasoned meat or high-end buns.
If Flay isn’t making the burger himself, he might head to In-N-Out, which he told “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans is his favorite fast food burger chain. But, if he’s in New York where you won’t find any In-N-Out locations, he’ll head to JG Melon, a staple on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. “The meat is fantastic,” Flay said on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Burgers,” adding,”It’s got a good amount of fat content so it’s going to have lots of flavor and lots of moisture.” Another thing he loves about the JG Melon burger is that it’s cooked on a flat iron griddle: “It sears the meat and all of the juices and flavors stay in.” Flay’s career as a chef thus far may have been full of twists and complicated steps, but when it comes to his favorite comfort food, he likes to keep his cheeseburgers simple.
