By Summer 2029. The kitchen was being built inside the new house and I went out every Saturday to watch it come together. Jeff had a finish carpenter working on the cabinets and counter installation—a young woman named Rita who was fast and precise and who asked me two questions about the counter height that no one else had thought to ask, and whose questions I answered with the conviction of someone who had spent six months thinking about exactly this.
The gas range was delivered in July and lifted in through the side door. It was bigger than what I'd had in the rental house—a six-burner commercial-grade range with a wide central burner for the big pots. Seeing it in the kitchen for the first time, not yet installed but sitting on its legs in the center of the room, was one of those moments where you understand what you've been building toward. All the barn fires and the folding table prep and the outdoor cooking—they were building toward a kitchen like this one. A kitchen that was built for what I actually do.
Kai was in Vermont. He texted photos occasionally: the farm where his program was based, the northeast forest that was so different from the Cherokee hills. He said the food culture there was fascinating but that he missed the specific taste of dried sumac. I sent him a jar by mail. He texted back: thank you. I said: come home in August and the persimmons will be thinking about it. He said: I'll be there.
River asked me one Saturday if the new house meant we'd stop cooking at the barn. I said no. I said the barn was the barn and the house was the house and both had their purpose. He seemed very relieved by this information.
The range was sitting in the center of that half-finished kitchen on its legs, not yet hooked up, and I already knew what I wanted to cook first — something that deserved the heat. Cola Burgers have been a barn staple for years, the kind of thing I’d throw together on a folding table with a cast iron skillet over an outdoor burner, and they’ve always been better than they have any right to be. Making them on that six-burner commercial range, with all the BTUs I’d been building toward, felt like closing a loop — the barn taught me how to cook, and the kitchen was finally catching up.
Cola Burgers
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend)
- 1/3 cup cola (such as Coca-Cola)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 burger buns, split and toasted
- Toppings as desired: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard, ketchup
Instructions
- Combine the mix. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cola, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix with your hands just until everything is evenly incorporated — do not overwork the meat.
- Form the patties. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and shape into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Press a shallow dimple in the center of each with your thumb to help them cook evenly and prevent puffing.
- Heat the pan or grill. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat on your range, or preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Lightly oil the surface.
- Cook the burgers. Cook patties 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium doneness (internal temperature of 160°F for well-done, 145°F for medium). Do not press down on the patties while cooking.
- Rest and serve. Let patties rest 2 minutes off the heat. Serve on toasted buns with your preferred toppings.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg