Glorious Beef by Pat Lafrieda & Cecilia Molinari

Author:Pat Lafrieda & Cecilia Molinari [LaFrieda, Pat & Molinari, Cecilia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

8

The Big Leagues

Burgers. I can still remember those giant four-ounce doubles I grew up eating as a kid in our Brooklyn backyard, grilled to perfection by my dad, topped with a simple slice of American cheese, and embraced by sesame-seed bread we bought from the corner bakery. As I bit into that perfect piece of American comfort food, I could never have imagined that this would ultimately be what catapulted us into becoming a household name in New York City and beyond. It all began with our chopped beef, the one my great-grandfather Anthony started selling in his shop in the 1930s, a signature blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib, the same one my grandfather and dad continued selling in the city. The secret was to take it seriously. This isn’t about grabbing meat leftovers and grinding them into oblivion until they become a nondescript patty. Like my grandfather wisely said, “You can’t hide your sins in chopped beef,” a rule to live by at LaFrieda.

The family blend called for the same amount of specific beef cuts to create a uniform flavor that our clients could count on. That’s how we first came to be known for our chopped beef in the New York restaurant circle. The beauty back then and to this day is that we use whole cuts of different muscles, many of which are usually used for steaks, and no fat trimmings—that pink slime is completely out of the question. This allows us to know the exact flavor profile we are dealing with, which makes our end product consistent. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with what you believe to be the best burger you’ve ever tried only to go back and not enjoy the same thrilling experience. That is unacceptable. Furthermore, following how my grandfather did it, our meat is chopped at very cold temperatures, which keeps it coarse and prevents it from getting overworked. And you already know we pride ourselves on sourcing that wonderful, all-natural, domestically raised Black Angus beef, keeping with our high-quality standards.

All of these ingredients placed us in the perfect spot when the burger craze began to take hold of the city. The first client to approach me was New York restaurateur Henry Meer. For his soon-to-be opened downtown steakhouse, City Hall, he wanted something different, a sweeter, fattier burger than what he already had come to love from our original blend. I immediately knew I had to up the amount of brisket to get him the buttery flavor he was after. Once we hit the perfect proportions, we were all set. It was 1998, a pivotal moment for our business, our first custom blend and the first time a restaurant put our name on the menu, right under the word burger: Pat LaFrieda’s Custom Blend of Short Rib and Brisket. Other custom blend requests soon followed.

The first question we ask before we even start to make customization suggestions is: What’s your favorite steak? Each chef’s palate varies, so

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