Bringing Together Triplet Boys with Burger Night
by Julie Johnson, Tastemaker in Residence
We’ve come along way from changing forty (yes, 4-0!) diapers a day and pushing three babies in a triple wide stroller! Fast forward sixteen years and instead of the boys being passengers in a stroller, mom and dad are now passengers in the car. Many people ask, “What is it like raising triplet boys?” I typically don’t have a standard response, but I will say it is worth every sweat and tear my husband and I have invested into parenting!
It is very rewarding to watch them grow into independent and hard-working young adults, all while having fun along the way! Did I say fun?!?
Yes, they each bring their own element of fun to the family and at times, competitive spirits ignite with a little rough housing! The fun comes by supporting their unique personalities and interests in multiple activities. Since they are not all in the same activities, our household theme is often “divide and conquer!” Activity interests range from track/cross country to trap shooting to hockey/baseball. Outside of organized activities, they all enjoy downhill skiing and/or snowboarding and for one of them, bring on the hunting and fishing! You may even see them all catching a round of golf here and there.
Some days, I’m not always sure who is coming and going through the revolving door especially now that summer jobs are layered in the mix! Despite the chaos, the one thing I love is when we can all come together for a meal! It doesn’t have to be fancy and with three boys, burgers are almost always a great ‘no fail’ dinner option. An original drive-in burger recipe in Cooks Illustrated has become a staple in our house for burger nights. Combining burgers with homemade french fries and root beer is sure to score me ‘mom of the night’ award! Check out the burger recipe here (please note, modified some steps of the original recipe):
Best Old-Fashioned Burgers
Ingredients
10 ounces sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 hamburger buns
½ teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices of cheese (your choice)
Instructions
Place beef chunks on a baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze meat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pulse half of meat in food processor until coarsely ground. Once beef is evenly ground, transfer it back to the baking sheet and discard any large chunks of fat. Repeat with remaining meat.
Separate ground meat into 4 equal mounds and gently shape each mound into a loose patty about a ½ inch thick. Season the top with salt and pepper.
Melt ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add bun tops, cut side down, and toast until light golden brown. Repeat with bun bottoms. Set buns aside and wipe out skillet with a paper towel.
Return skillet to high heat; add oil and heat until just smoking. Transfer burgers to skillet and
cook the first side for at least 3 minutes or desired temperature. (I like to cook mine a little longer because we like our burgers more on the well side). Flip burgers once and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes. Again, cook to your desired temperature. Top each patty with a slice of cheese (optional) and cook until cheese is melted.
Transfer patties to buns and serve.
**I generally double this recipe for our family of five. Two burgers are often necessary to satisfy the hunger of each growing boy.
