Weekend Cooking: Pornburger by Mathew Ramsey

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Do you like burgers? If so, you'll like Mathew Ramsey's new book Pornburgers. Many of the recipes and photos were first seen on his blog--called, of course, PornBurger--but the book contains new information and collects some of the best of his work all in one place.

The first part of the book is all about the photos and what Ramsey calls "the stack," which is made up of the things between the bun. On one page you'll see an amazing photo of an inventive burger, and on the next page you're given the ingredients of the stack, with cross-references to the recipes.

All of his burgers have punny names, some with a sexual innuendo. Here are a few that made me smile:

• Bill U Murray Me?
• Calicornication (see the scan)
• Croque Van Damme
• The Full Mounty
• Porknado

Basically, Ramsey is all about the uninhibited burger. His no-holds-barred, no combo is unworthy of a try approach is fun to read about and inspiring, even if you're generally a classic burger fan. Oh and if beef isn't your thing, you'll also find pork, lamb, poultry, fish, and veggie burgers.

I think one of my favorite sandwiches is the very clever "Pop Tart" burger, which consists of beef, bacon jam, and a smoky sauce baked inside a crust that's shaped like a Pop Tart. Easy to eat, fun to serve, and not quite as big as Ramsey's stacks.

The last two-thirds of Pornburger contains the recipes. You'll find information on how to make the perfect burger, starting from grinding your own meat to cooking it to perfection. There are also recipes for sauces and spreads, sides and pickles, and a variety of homemade buns. Scattered throughout the book are tips and tricks as well as resources and Pornburger-worthy restaurants.

Recommendation: Personally, I don't see me eating a 6-inch-high burger stack, but I'm definitely interested in Mathew Ramsey's recipes. Pornburger contains a number of rubs for flavoring bacon, for example, and I love the idea of making my own condiments, such as all-American ketchup, shallot compote, and avocado crema. My own burger would likely be more like a "Half Mounty," but still good and still inspired by Ramsey.

Here is a scan of one of the burgers and the stack (from uncorrected proof); click the image to see it full size.

The following short video of Mathew Ramsey making a burger was shot by National Geographic.

Note on the scans: the images were used here in the context of a review. All rights remain with the original copyright holders: Ecco and Mathew Ramsey.

Published by Ecco, 2016
ISBN-13: 9780062408655
Source: Review: audiobook (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)