Grilled Green Onion Burgers

Week 500. Five hundred weeks of writing about fire and food and family. Five hundred weeks of standing at a grill or a smoker or an altar and translating the heat into words. I did not plan to acknowledge this number — I do not celebrate round numbers the way Jessica celebrates financial milestones — but 500 is a number that demands acknowledgment. Five hundred weeks is nine years and seven months. Five hundred weeks is approximately 3,500 meals cooked for the blog. Five hundred weeks is the entire arc from a firefighter with a backyard grill to a restaurant owner with two locations (one operating, one under construction) and a family that has grown from a toddler and a baby to a twelve-year-old chef and a nine-year-old filmmaker.

Five hundred weeks ago: Marcus Rivera, thirty years old, fire engineer at Station 19, married to Jessica, father of Sofia (almost 2). The backyard had a basic grill. The cooking was a hobby. The dream was a flicker. Five hundred weeks later: Marcus Rivera, forty-one years old, retired Battalion Chief, owner of Rivera's BBQ (Mesa, AZ), second location opening 2028, husband of Jessica (senior partner, CFO of everything), father of Sofia (twelve, competition-winning chef, four menu items, leading scorer) and Diego (nine, filmmaker, writer, hitter, stick-giver, dog-owner).

Five hundred weeks of Roberto at the grill and then at the counter. Five hundred weeks of Elena's recipes and corrections and the slow transfer of mole from her hands to mine. Five hundred weeks of Jessica's spreadsheets and strategies and the firm belief that the numbers work. Five hundred weeks of fire that started at a cinder block grill in 1982 and which burns now in a building in Mesa and which will burn soon in a building in Chandler and which burns always, everywhere, in the hearts of the people who stand near it.

I do not have a profound observation for week 500. The profound observations have been made — five hundred of them, one per week, each one a chapter in a story that the fire is writing. The observation for week 500 is the simplest one: the fire is still burning. After five hundred weeks of writing about it, the fire is still burning. After forty-one years of standing near it, the fire is still burning. After forty-four years of Roberto tending it, the fire is still burning. The fire does not count weeks. The fire does not acknowledge milestones. The fire burns. That is the observation. That is the whole thing. Just show up. The fire does the rest.

Five hundred weeks, and the recipe that felt right for this one is not a showstopper — it’s a burger. A grilled burger with green onions, the kind of thing Roberto would have thrown on a cinder block grill without ceremony or announcement, because the fire doesn’t need a reason and neither does a good burger. After nine years and seven months of writing about this craft, simplicity is the only honest answer I have: stand at the grill, let the heat do what heat does, and feed the people in front of you. That’s week 500. That’s all five hundred of them, really.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend preferred)
4 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 burger buns, lightly toasted
Toppings as desired: lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, pickles, condiments

Instructions

Preheat the grill. Heat your gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400—450°F). Clean and oil the grates well.
Mix the patties. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sliced green onions, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix gently with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat or the patties will become dense.
Form the patties. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Press a shallow indent into the center of each patty with your thumb to prevent doming during cooking.
Grill the burgers. Place patties on the hot grill and cook for 4—5 minutes per side for medium doneness (internal temperature of 160°F), or adjust to your preference. Resist the urge to press down on the patties while they cook.
Toast the buns. During the last minute of cooking, place buns cut-side down on the grill and toast until lightly golden.
Rest and serve. Remove patties from the grill and let rest for 2 minutes. Assemble burgers with your preferred toppings and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Green Onion Burgers — Five Hundred Weeks at the Fire