mborner
Assistant Cook
Yea, I see where you are going with this. To eliminate the psychological aspect of it I had my wife grill the burgers once but it made no difference. I only did this because I thought my taste would be affected by breathing and reveling in all the grilling smoke. I found this to not be the case because it doesn't affect the flavor of my steaks one bit.Have you considered that you may be setting the bar too high? When you eat someone else's cooking, the atmosphere is different than in your own home. Also, as a rule, we tend to blend the food experience with enjoyment of good company, and good times. The smae meal cooked in a campground setting, even if cooked a little off (say the bacon is overcooked) still tastes better than when cooked perfectly in the home kitchen.
I sounds like you're doing everything right. It may be that you are simply your own worst critic. As an experiment, volunteer to cook half of the burgers at a get together, but on the equipment at the host's backyard. They cook the other half. Use the same methods you use at home. Watch what methods they use. See if you can discern a taste difference between their burgers, and your own. If so, try using their technique.
I know that I had a grilled burger in a restaurant, in Olympia Wa., that I have not been able to duplicate. It was a brilliant hamburger That tasted like grilled steak. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I understand your dillema and sympathize. I also hope you get it figured out, and are able to obtain the perfect technique for the perfect burger.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
However, I seem to have exhausted every other posibility so I'm thinking I'm just nuts.