Build a Better Burger: Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burgers [Paperback]

James McNair (Author), Bob Trinchero (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

Each summer, cooks from the rocky shores of Maine to the sun-kissed beaches of Hawaii ignite their imaginations and fire up their grills to create new twists on an icon of North American cuisine: the burger. Thousands of these cooks-both amateur and professional-compete annually in the Build a Better Burger recipe contest, a winner-takes-all national cook-off at Sutter Home Family Vineyards in idyllic Napa Valley. In this collection marking the fifteenth anniversary of the cook-off, best-selling cookbook author James McNair presents a colorful look at the contest, including each of the forty-four recipes that have won awards since BBB began. Twelve of the illustrious chefs and cookbook authors who have judged the cook-off also share their creative burger recipes. Some of the innovative and tasty burgers are: Caesar Salad and Flank Steak Burgers with Garlic Crostini Hazelnut-Crusted Lamb Burgers Carolina Pork Barbecue Burgers Green Chile Chicken Burgers with Orange-Chile Salsa and Three-Pepper Cheese Spread Mediterranean Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Basil MayonnaiseTo complement the recipes, Sutter Home'¬?s culinary director and executive chef, Jeffrey Starr, suggests a perfect wine match for each one and offers general tips for pairing wine with burgers. And rounding out the book are guidelines for making better burgers and writing recipes for your own award-worthy creations.Build a Better Burger is the perfect summer companion, full of recipes bound to please every backyard cook. You too will lavish praise on these prizewinners with each better burger you grill up at home.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

 A collection of the prize-winning recipes of the national Build a Better Burger contest, along with 12 judges’ recipes.  Represents the best of the more than 50,000 contest entries Since 1990, including Caesar Salad and Flank Steak Burgers with Garlic Crostini; Hazelnut-Crusted Lamb Burgers; Carolina Pork Barbecue Burgers; Green Chile Chicken Burgers; and Mediterranean Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise.  Includes full-color photographs of all 56 recipes in the book.

About the Author

James McNair has served as the head judge of Build a Better Burger since it began in 1990, heading both the regional selection process and the cook-off judging; he is now the chairman of the national contest. He is the author of more than forty cookbooks, including Burgers, Beef, Chicken, Corn, Grill, Pizza, and The Sutter Home Napa Valley Cookbook, and has received an Award of Excellence from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. McNair also teaches cooking classes and gives culinary lectures around the country, and has appeared on many national and local television shows. He lives in Napa Valley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087205
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087209
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.6 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars INTERESTING RECIPES BUT WILL YOU MAKE THEM?, July 19, 2005

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Build a Better Burger: Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burgers (Paperback)

Build a Better Burger presents the winning recipes from the annual Build a Better Burger National Cook-off held annually and sponsored by Sutter Home. Recipes begin trickling in during the Summer and the best are invited to compete in early Fall in the beautiful Napa Valley where the grand prize is a whopping $50,000. With that kind of money on the line, you know that these are people who take their burgers seriously. The book begins with a brief but breezy history of the burger as well as some of the notable fast food burger chains such as McDonald's and White Castle.

The book presents the winning recipes by year beginning with 1990. These are no everyday burgers, however. These creative recipes use just about any ingredient you can think of. Not limited to just beef, these recipes call for ground turkey, chicken, pork, buffalo, lamb, tuna, Salmon, even Italian sausage and shrimp! Among the exotic burger recipes contained in the book are such gems as: Three nut turkey Burgers with tropical fruit salsa, Peppered Lamb Burgers with hot tomato jam, Salmon Burgers with Lemon cilantro mayonnaise, Samurai Burgers made with tuna, plum jam, and fish broth, and Chipolte Honey BBQ Bacon Burgers with Gorgonzola cheese. No...these are not your everyday backyard burgers.

That's its appeal and maybe a bit of its weakness as well. First, many of the recipes contain some rather unusual ingredients. Items such as Moscato, South African peppadew, and dried Guajillo chiles are things you probably won't find in the average grocery store. The recipes are well presented with gorgeous color photography of the finished creations. They're certainly mouth-watering to view but I wonder if they will have broad appeal. Honestly looking through the dozens of recipes I could only pick a handful that I'd really want to try out. Perhaps others are more adventurous than me. If you are, then this is certainly a great place to start for some new and exciting recipes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Narrow Target Audience, January 27, 2009

By 

Ghostman (LA, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Build a Better Burger: Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burgers (Paperback)

I'm a sucker for cookbooks that accompany each recipe with a color photo of the end result. I saw this book for six bucks at the bargain section, so I thought it was a steal. However, when I got home to actually read some of the recipes, I was very intimidated and discouraged. I had never shopped for, nor heard of the majority of ingredients that the recipes were calling.

What I eventually realized, was that this book is listing nothing short of award-winning burgers. Thus, the contestants who were vying for a spot on this cookbook had to be extremely creative. All of these burgers would take at least an average of 30 minutes to prepare and build, not to mention tons of money spent on locating foreign ingredients that you'll probably never use again until you make the same burger in the future.

Furthermore, you will not find these gourmet burgers anywhere, other than perhaps upscale restaurants that would probably ring up tabs in the $100 range for two. It's just not practical from an average restaurant's perspective, due to the cost, time and effort required to construct one of these things.

Perhaps this is the kinda book that I'll come to appreciate several years down the road, as I hone my cooking skills and expand my culinary IQ. But currently as a self-teaching, novice chef, operating out of a small apartment kitchen, these recipes are way over my head.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start with the basics for better burgers, February 6, 2011

By 

Theodore A. Rushton (PHOENIX, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Build A Better Burger: Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burger (Paperback)

This is the perfect book for those who believe a good burger depends more on fancy toppings to flavour it and not on the quality of ingredients that make up the "meat" of the finished food.

Does anyone remember, "Where's the beef?"

Before starting, the first question should be, "What about the beef?"

There's a difference between freshly ground sirloin and store-ground round with 30 percent fat; just as there is a difference between "rare" and "well done" steaks. Sadly, this book doesn't begin with a lesson in good beef (from a cursory glance, neither do many other cookbooks). But, it has room for a brief history of 'Sutter Home Vineyards' and the origins of burger chains.

Apart from that, the recipes are interesting. An example of ingenuity is the 'Sauerbraten Burgers' with four ingredients for the topping, six ingredients for the wine basting sauce and 10 ingredients for the burger -- starting with "2 pounds ground beef". Good start. Now, is that 30 percent fat ground round? Or 7 percent fat? Surely not ground sirloin? If so, say so!

Or does it matter? Why the half cup of finely crushed gingersnaps? To add flavour, or to soak up excess fat? Building a better burger is somewhat like building a better house; it's not just the quality of workmanship that matters. It also depends on the quality of materials; a house built with 6-foot studs will be different, cheaper of course, than one built with 8-footers.

It's not that this is a "bad" book; it's just that it would help greatly to provide a basic introduction to the best beef for burgers -- or lamb, turkey or any other main ingredient. Then explain the heat; just as with pizzas, there's a vast difference between one cooked at 300 degrees and one done at 900 degrees.

That said .... the list of ingredients and toppings is truly fascinating. Anyone who's learned to cook a perfect burger without "extras" will find this an invaluable guide to some truly delicious dining experiments and experiences.

But first: Learn the basics before you expect magic from "1 tbs Paul Pridhomme's Meat Magic Seasoning Blend'. Okay?