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The delicious brevity of Dean Martin's burger recipe.

Written by Cole Schafer

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Dean Martin isn’t someone I look up to where writing is concerned. For one, he wasn’t much of a reader. The only book he ever opened and finished was Black Beauty.

And, for two, it’s argued he didn’t write his own music.

That’s Amore, one of Martin’s most famous songs was crafted by a pair of song-writers named Jack Brooks and Harry Warren who were paid $10,000 to write a “sure-fire hit”.

But, reading and writing aside, Martin’s creative and entertaining talent is unmatched.

He could sing.

He could joke.

He could act.

He was a world-renowned superstar, nicknamed “The King of Cool” for his effortless charisma.

He also wrote one of the best burger recipes I’ve ever read (after Ernest Hemingway’s).

Martin Burgers.

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Back in 1966, at the height of Dean Martin’s career, he contributed a burger recipe to The Celebrity Cookbook.

While there is a very good chance he didn’t actually write it (See: That’s Amore), you have to appreciate the brevity.

It reads as follows:

“Martin Burgers.

1 lb. ground beef

2 oz. bourbon—chilled

Preheat a heavy frying pan and sprinkle bottom lightly with table salt. Mix meat, handling lightly, just enough to form into four patties. Grill over medium-high heat about 4 minutes on each side.

Pour chilled bourbon in chilled shot glass and serve meat and bourbon on a TV tray.”

Like I said, the beauty is in the brevity.

By Cole Schafer (but mostly Dean Martin’s ghostwriter).