Kevin Pang's "The Cheeseburger Show"

Kevin Pang's "The Cheeseburger Show"

Starting April 16th on CLTV, a new, apparently Chicago-based food production: The Cheeseburger Show, starring Kevin Pang.

Sample/promo: http://vimeo.com/3949685

David "I heard about it just now on Twitter" Hammond

Hammond,

Just watched the promo video, funny, high energy, lots of action, looking forward to the show.

Enjoy,
Gary 'I like Cheeseburgers' Wiviott

looks like a fun show. Though you can tell by the first interviews everyone vision of a perfect cheeseburger is different. Fun stuff to watch though

I'm bummed because I don't get CLTV on dishnetwork. Oh well.....maybe it will be on utube.

Nice. I'll be looking for it tonight.

check out the first episode (all of it? not sure) at www.cheeseburgershow.com -- great stuff!

I am a big Kevin Pang fan. His work in the Tribune has always been fun and creative. Now that I see this, I think CLTV will be just the beginning for Kevin on air. I don't know him, but for years, whenever I read a Tribune feature article I really enjoyed, I would check the byline and it would be Kevin's. I've written him several e-mails to him just to let him know I've enjoyed yet another of his stories. I love his humor and energy. I'll have to send him another note today!

janeyb wrote:I am a big Kevin Pang fan. His work in the Tribune has always been fun and creative. Now that I see this, I think CLTV will be just the beginning for Kevin on air. I don't know him, but for years, whenever I read a Tribune feature article I really enjoyed, I would check the byline and it would be Kevin's. I've written him several e-mails to him just to let him know I've enjoyed yet another of his stories. I love his humor and energy. I'll have to send him another note today!

You can also start following him on twitter, http://twitter.com/kevinthepang

Neat interview with Kevin Pang, he's pretty spot on with alot of LTH favorites:

http://www.andrewzimmern.com/node/1022

If his first subject -- Top Notch Beefburgers -- hasn't been written about on LTH I wanted to add a few lines because it really is a unique experience.

The meat is ground and made into paddies every day. Not frozen. Not made one day and cooked the next.

The fries are cooked in lard, not oil. And they are always perfectly done. Fries, too, are cut every day. They pre bake, let cool and then fry throughout the day.

I think Kevin made a mistake by ordering the 1/2 pound burger as the the extra 1/4 of meat alters the ratio of bread, meat and cheese. Darin once tutored me on how to make a perfect burger which was pretty much summed up in don't try too hard (like the foi gras, etc.). Defy the overwhelming temptation to press down with the spatula while its cooking.

The classic and I think the best in the city is the regular burger with grilled onions (that are cooked on the same grill as the burgers). It comes with catsup and pickles.

The lettuce and tomato are there for aesthetics. Under no circumstances should they be put on a top notch burger.

By the way, Darin, who is the longtime owner and cook, got his MBA from University of Chicago in the 50's. Which he's used to run a greasy burger joint. He's lived a happy life.

It's an LTH Great Neighborhood Restaurant

And I agree with everything you said, except I thought they cooked the fries in beef fat, not lard.

I usually do pepper jack, bacon, grilled onions, pickles, a little ketchup and a little hot sauce.

You are right about the beef fat

Kevin Pang is just cute as a button. I got halfway through the show, will be going to watch more soon.

Again, at Top Notch, I had the cube steak sandwich and really, really enjoyed it. Too many beef products, too little time...

LTH,

Big excitement today, Kevin Pang, aka Mr. Cheeseburger, filmed a segment for the The Cheeseburger Show in my backyard. I am under threat of life and limb not to spill the beans, but suffice to say it involved meat and cheese.

[Pictures edited

The episode with yours truly should air in two weeks.

Enjoy,
Gary

per kevin's twitter, there's a meet up this friday (4/24):

Cheeseburger Show Tweetup: This Friday 8pm @ Sheffield's, 3258 N. Sheffield. First couple hundred sliders on us. Come by or regret FOREVER

if you're in the area, you should go... or regret it forever.

Kevin should head to Patty's before May...at least we'll have video of her burgers....

Tweetup

I'm gonna have to start the banned words list early this year.

Kennyz wrote:

Tweetup

I'm gonna have to start the banned words list early this year.

Spot on, I say good fellow!

Kennyz wrote:

Tweetup

I'm gonna have to start the banned words list early this year.

You do that, gramps

Kennyz, you and I can have a happening, so we can rap.

Just watching the 2nd episode intro on the DVR... Good bit at Wiener's Circle.

Nothing like reminding us how wholesome verbal abuse, hot grease, and a woman that can snap you in half can be!

ep3 is up now:

http://vimeo.com/channels/cheeseburgershow

the editing on this one seems a bit... off.

Has anyone actually found this named on the schedule at CLTV? I looked for it to record on the DVR and found nothing. It seems too short to fill a full 30 minute slot.

ep4 is up now... with our own GWiv.

http://vimeo.com/4477566/

The burgers by Gary and GEB look amazing.

Excellent 4th episode with great-looking burgers from Gary and chef Bowles. And I loved the quote from Gary at the very end of the episode . . .

"Unlike the blues, when you have burgers, your woman and your dog are never gonna leave you."

Words of wisdom, my friend. Words of wisdom.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Excellent 4th episode with great-looking burgers from Gary and chef Bowles.

Lots of fun being on the Cheeseburger Show. Though I thought the camera added 10-lbs, not 100

GEB's burger looked great!

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Excellent 4th episode with great-looking burgers from Gary and chef Bowles.

Lots of fun being on the Cheeseburger Show. Though I thought the camera added 10-lbs, not 100

GEB's burger looked great!

Just got around to watching this episode and thought GWiv had some very useful insights into the preparation of the grilled hamburger -- particularly enlightening to hear rationale for why you shouldn't flip burgers too soon. Not sure about onion bialy buns...look cool, and much more interesting than regular buns, but aren't they a little too chewy? I stand ready for correction, however harsh.

Also loved GEB's over-the-top approach to maximizing flavor in the bun...and thought it was actually something that home chefs might be able to approximate.

David Hammond wrote:Not sure about onion bialy buns...look cool, and much more interesting than regular buns, but aren't they a little too chewy? I stand ready for correction, however harsh.

Dear Mr. Hammond,

I tend to agree with you, onion bialys may be a bit chewy for burgers, especially of the size I made for the Cheeseburger Show.

But, you knew there was a but didn't you, the deliciously oniony buns pictured were onion rolls from Kaufman's Bakery on Dempster. Sturdy enough to support a big boy burger like the bison/chuck beauty I grilled, just the right amount of yield to allow a clean-through bite with little resistance.

Enjoy,
Gary

Kaufman's
4905 W. Dempster St.
Skokie, IL
847-677-6190

This clip spawned a humorous conversation in my house this evening at dinner.

Mrs. DBO: What's with the big indentations in the tops of all these burgers?
Me: It's the Wiviott Diviott!
Mrs. DBO (pregnant pause and subsequent glare): You're getting weirder.
Me: Yes ma'am. Pass the parsnips, dear?