The Burger of the Future, as Imagined by Dave Arnold

Last week we challenged Dave Arnold, Director of Technology at the French Culinary Institute, to do two things: make us a burger at his house (video over on Eater NY) and to show us his interpretation of the burger of the future.

The result is the Soup Dumpling Burger, which Arnold demoed for us on the fifth floor of the FCI. In the preparation, he fills a patty with a veal stock gelatin that liquifies when cooked (in this case the heat comes from an immersion circulator, a deep fryer, and a makeshift charcoal grill). He then tops it with bacon that has been "glued" together to render a perfect disk, as well as circular Comte cheese and pickles. Buttered rye bread seals, and melts, the deal.

See what happens when Arnold brings the wacky and Eater Moving Pictures brings the minimalism in the video below.

Dave Arnold's Burger Of The Future from Eater NY on Vimeo.

Music credit: "Time Keeps" by Awning.

Arnold's Recipe:

1) Slice bacon in strips, layer with Activa RM (meat glue) and vacuum bag between parchment paper and allow to set for 4 hours in fridge.

2) Reduce veal stock till thick and super beefy, then add ketchup (Heinz), salt and pepper to taste. While hot, stir in 2 percent by weight of calcium lactate gluconate. Pour the mix into a 3/16 to 1/4 inch sheet in a lined hotel pan and allow to set hard in the fridge (the natural gelatin from the stock makes it set).

3) Disperse 9 grams of sodium alginate (type DMB from FMC biopolymer) and 5 grams sodium citrate in a liter of water in a vita prep and turn on high to hydrate.

4) Deaerate the alginate in a chamber vacuum machine. Keep alginate bath cold.

5) Cut the ketchup gel into rings and drop into alginate bath and leave for 40 seconds. The calcium in the gel interacts with the alginate to form a fairly tough (usually bad but useful here because of the rough treatment it with withstand) heat-proof coating on the gel. Remove gel from bath and store on a silpat in fridge.

6) Cut boneless beef short ribs and chuck steak into strips removing gristle, silverskin, etc and place into freezer to firm up (your meat grinder should already be in the freezer). I use 30-40 percent short rib.

7) After the meat has gotten stiff (don't freeze it), grind it.

8) For each burger form two thin patties and some ropes of meat. Try not to overhandle the meat.

9) Form the ropes into a wall around one of the patties and slip a ketchup gel into the center. Place the second patty on top and seal all the edges.

10) Liberally season both sides of the burger with pepper and salt and briefly deep-fry the burger to set the outside of the meat.

11) Place the burger in a ziploc bag with melted butter and carefully get rid of the air using the underwater bagging method.

12) Cook the burger at 55 or 55.5 c in an immersion circulator for a couple of hours.

13) Using an usuba, cut a pickle into a sheet and then cut a circle from the sheet.

14) Slice a thin sheet of Comte cheese and cut a circle from the sheet.

15) Cut two circles from rye bread.

16) Remove bacon sheet from bag and cook between two silpats weighted with a sheet pan in the oven.

17)When done cut a circle from the bacon sheet.

18) Light hardwood charcoal on the stove.

19) Pull the burger from the bag and let cool a couple minutes.

20) Grill the burger over super hot coals fir crust and taste.

21) Heat a pan with butter and toast the bread bacon and cheese (like a grilled cheese). The cheese will glue the bacon to the top piece of bread.

22) Place the burger on the bottom bread, then the pickle, then the bacon/cheese/bread.

23) Voilà

· Dave Arnold Makes a Killer Patty Melt at Home [-ENY-]
· All Dave Arnold Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Hamburger Coverage on Eater [-E-]