The Cheesy Verde Burger

The cheesy verde burger

I bought a 3 lb package of ground chuck on sale and decided I would make it into my weekly bargain buy and turn into several meals for myself — but it could just as easily feed a family on one or two occasions.

First thing I wanted to make was burgers. So I divided it in half.

Half would become 4 patties, the other half ... that will be my next post!

I took the half and split it into quarters, then formed each into nice round patties. I seasoned both sides with salt and pepper and preheated the grill. Once I threw them on I let the first side sear for 5 minutes then flipped. The second side I let go two minutes before adding a slice of cheddar jack cheese, which melted all over the patty during the final 3 minute cook. I pulled the burgers and rested 10 minutes before assembling a sandwich.

During the 10 minute rest, I sliced some fresh tomato and tore up some cilantro. Once properly rested, I stacked the burger on a bun, topped with the tomato and cilantro and slathered on some salsa verde I had made the night before with fresh tomatillos.

The burger was juicy and perfectly cooked.

The tomato, cilantro and salsa verde added a level of homemade pizazz that can only be found with fresh ingredients cooked perfectly to ones own personal preference. Nothing on this burger was squeezed from a can or squirted from a bottle —  It did have store-bought bread — but I can assure, the burger, with all these fresh toppings was a culinary experience. A painting of flavors that excites the taste buds rather than the retina.

This burger was the best single thing I had eaten in a while.

I made enough to make four sandwiches. Which means that the other three were stored and will become meals over the next few days. Two lunches and one more dinner most likely. The leftovers won't be as good as the fresh-off-the grill burger, but it will be better than McDonald on any day — and a hole hell of a lot cheaper!

Eat well, cook often ...

CHEESY VERDE BURGERS
Serves 4, 30 minutes
1.5 lbs ground chuck, divided into 4 patties (1/2 inch thick)
4 slices cheddar jack cheese
4 slices fresh tomato
1/2 C of fresh cilantro, chopped
Salsa verde for topping (recipe follows)
4 toasted hamburger buns

Season patties with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat grill to high. Sear patties for 5 minutes on one side, with lid of grill closed. Flip. Sear two minutes more, lid on. Add cheese, close lid, cook three minutes more. Remove from grill. Let rest 10 minutes.

Top each burger with tomato slice, salsa verde and fresh cilantro. Then serve.

SALSA VERDE
Makes 2 cups, 1 hour 30 minutes
1 lb tomatillos, quartered
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
3/4 pineapple juice
1/2 C cilantro
3 limes, zest and juice

In a little oil over medium heat cook onion and jalapeno until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic, cook 1 minute more or until fragrant. Add pineapple juice. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Let liquid reduce by 3/4ths. Add tomatillos and cook 4 minutes more stirring occasionally. Add water, reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduce by 2/3rds, approximately 1 hour. Let mixture cool a little and pour into a bender, add cilantro, zest and juice of limes. Blend into a smooth sauce, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve on tacos or burgers.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Printable version

This is the second recipe I have created with Williams-Sonoma Buffalo Chicken Rub. First, I created chicken tenders – which were awesome. This time I used the same directions (from the package) to cook the chicken, only this time I made a sandwich with blue cheese dressing and lettuce.

I loved it - even more than the tenders.

The bread, lettuce and dressing that accompanied the chicken with every bite allowed the buffalo flavor to be a little more subtle than with the tenders.

Once again, the rub is a much preferred replacement to the messy buttery hot sauce that seems to drip everywhere when eating all things buffalo. I thought the sandwiches would be loaded with seasoning because each patty got half a tablespoon of the seasoning, but to my surprise it was really the perfect amount for each patty.

Before I knew it, I had inhaled two of these. I literally had to stop my self from eating half of a third patty by itself. If given the choice, I would choose the sandwiches over the tenders, but both would be a good meal any day.

BEHIND THIS BITE
As I mention before, what I love about this rub is that I get the flavor of buffalo chicken without the mess. It seems whenever I get anything that is buffalo chicken, I have buttery hot sauce dripping from my elbows and chin by the time I’m done. The dry rub really eliminates that.

I’m the kind of person that grabs a stack of napkins to eat a regular meal because I don’t like sloppy eating and is often the reason I won’t get chicken wings or ribs - I hate meals that require a shower after eating them. I think that is why this rub appeals to me so much - It provides the buffalo without the mess.

I’m taking this as a challenge - I’m going to use the traditional hot sauce and butter mixture to flavor a buffalo chicken meal or appetizer that has little or no clean up. Stay tuned.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 4 sandwiches; 45 minutes
For chicken
1 lb Ground chicken, made into 4 patties
2 Tbs Williams-Sonoma Buffalo Chicken Rub

For baste
4 Tbs Unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp Williams-Sonoma, Buffalo Chicken Rub

For the sandwiches
4 Hamburger buns
1/2 C Lettuce, shredded
1/4 C Blue cheese dressing

Marinate chicken patties
Season patties with 2 tablespoons of Buffalo Chicken Rub and salt to taste. Let marinate for 30 minutes, allowing chicken to reach room temperature.

Grill and baste chicken
Melt butter over medium heat and mix in remaining seasoning. Grill chicken until cooked through 8 to 10 minutes, turning at least once. Near the end of cooking baste chicken with butter mixture. Remove and let rest at least 5 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches
On a bun place chicken, then top with blue cheese, lettuce and top bun. Then serve.

The Meaty Italian Burger

Printable version

Recently I recreated an amazing toasted sub, or grinder, from Brevins restaurant in Churubusco, Indiana. After making the sandwich I had salami, pepperoni and ceaser dressing left over. I thought about getting more ham and french bread for another grinder but I did what any man would do - pile them on a cheeseburger!

I decided to add a layer of basil and the end result was what I call - The Meaty Italian Burger. It’s a bit heavy and not for the weak at heart (or people with cholesterol problems) but, to say the least, it’s an all-star man bite. I’m half tempted to call Carl Jr's. to see if they’ll try it as one of their six dollar man burgers. I would love to see a voluptuous super model chowing on this in something skimpy in one of their controversial commercials.

The ceasar dressing adds a ton of flavor and compliments the deli meats that adorn the thick burger patty. I could have went with pizza sauce and made this more of a meat lovers pizza burger but I’m glad I went the went this route, I'll try the pizza burger another day.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I made these in the afternoon and later in the day I had to watch my nephews. I made four burgers but I had only enough salami and pepperoni for two. I ate the first one and thought I would give the second to my nephews to split. Once they arrived the two played for a while and then it was time to warm the burgers so they could snack.

Like a stingy over-eater I grabbed the Meaty Italian burger for myself and left the plain burgers for the boys. I wasn’t really hungry, it's just that I had to have it. The burger was really tasty and I just couldn’t resist. I must have looked like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. I gobbled up the burger as if I hadn't eaten weeks. They didn’t care though. A burger is a burger is a chicken nugget to those guys.

Some kids may appreciate fine cooking by my nephews usually want the special sauce left off or anything else added to make the meal gourmet – typical kids I guess.

Eat well, cook often ...

Avocado Bacon Cheeseburger

Printable version

Grilling season is in full swing. When I was in college at Ball State, I’ll never forget walking to work at the campus newspaper on warm evenings and smelling barbecue grills all around campus perfuming the air like fresh cut grass on a five-acre lawn.

According to a 2009 study conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, 82 percent of all U.S. households own a grill or smoker and during peak grilling season 45 percent of those grill at least 1 or 2 times a week. The most popular grilling occasions are Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day, but 56 percent report they grill during the wintertime. The survey also says the most popular foods for cooking on the grill are, in order: burgers (85 percent), steak (80 percent), hot dogs (79 percent) and chicken (73 percent).

For this recipe, I make America’s favorite grilling item – the burger. An avocado spread with jalapeño and lime juice gives it a signature flavor complimented by bacon, onion, tomato and cilantro.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This is an improvement on a concept that I originally did two years ago with my fourth column for print. It was a little different and I used chicken, but the basic idea here is deconstructed guacamole distributed throughout a sandwich. My basic recipe for guacamole is avocado, jalapeno, red onion, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. All of those elements are found here surrounding a bacon cheeseburger. (With pepper jack cheese for a little extra spice.) Bacon and avocado work so well together that it can make any sandwich taste awesome, and I must say, I absolutely destroyed two of these. My Dad made pretty quick work of the other two.

Another element to this sandwich is the charcoal flavor.

I recently upgraded to a 22.5” Weber grill from an 18” to have more room for roasting larger chunks of meat. What I have found is that the extra room and distance from the coals allows the meat to soak up more of the smoke created in the larger container. I am truly amazed at how much better the charcoal flavor is. This is the item recipe I have cooked on the new grill and all three have had exceptional charcoal flavor. If your in the market for a new charcoal cooker from Weber, spend a little extra and get the 22.5” size - It’s well worth it if your a fan of charcoal.

Eat well, cook often ...

The Breaded Cheeseburger

Printable version

I remember going out to eat with Mom and Dad when I was a kid and seeing a new item at a local diner that I had to try: The breaded cheeseburger. It was a beef patty and slice of cheese encased in a shell of crispy breading that was deep fried and served hot.

The breaded cheeseburger was delicious, but it was literally dangerous to eat. The cheese was inside the breading so it was molten hot when served. A huge first bite would send scalding cheese all over your mouth, so it had to be eaten with caution. My Dad learned this the hard way.

For this recipe, I make my own version of the breaded cheeseburger I discovered in my youth, but I add the cheese after the patty is breaded and fried to avoid third degree burns. I shallow fried this version in olive oil, so in order to cook it through I had to make the patty much thinner than a normal burger and I use extra lean ground beef to cut down on the amount of grease. The crunchy breaded patty creates a unique burger experience and I highly recommend any burger aficionado try it at least once.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I'm planning on revisiting this recipe in the future. It turned out delicious but I think this concept can be explored further. I presume that when these are made in restaurants the patties are frozen or pre-cooked. It was a challenge to cook the burger medium before the breading would burn. I overcame it by making the patties thin, which worked but made the beef less prominent in the overall taste of the burger. I think that could be improved greatly.

I made four sandwiches originally and topped one with just cheese, pickles and mayo. This brought out more of the breading flavor, but in the end I preferred the traditional LTO and decided it was best for the flavor of the overall recipe.

I did some browsing on the web and found that like the breaded tenderloin, the breaded cheeseburger is kind of an Indiana original. I guess us Hoosiers like breaded meat sandwiches as much as we like corn and basketball.

Eat well, cook often ...

Steakhouse ThickBurger: A True Man Bite

Printable version

While watching football a couple weeks ago, I saw a commercial for Hardee’s and Carl Jr’s new Six Dollar Steakhouse Thickburger. According to the ad, the sandwich was created by Hamblor, god of hamburgers. He has the power to shoot french fried onions from his hand, rides a giant saint bernard that carries a keg of A1 steak sauce around its neck and he is flanked by beautiful goddesses that seem to love eating massive burgers. Laughing hysterically at this divine commercial, I made a pilgrimage to get one.

After devouring this glorious celebration of beef and bun, I knew it was my earthly duty to recreate it. What make this sandwich stand out is the french fried onion strings that give the burger a nice crunchy element. Also, blue cheese crumbles work surprisingly well with the tang of A1 sauce. I’m confident Hamblor and his goddesses would agree that this homemade version is far superior to the one prepared in a flurry at the chain store.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Had the Catholic church presented such holy visions as Hamblor and his busty goddesses as part of sunday school growing up, I would have been valedictorian of St. John Bosco's confirmation class in 1988. But that is exactly what the add is targeting – Guys. Guys 18 to 34 to be specific. That's the demographic Carl Jr's. and Hardee's market their food too.

In the past, they have used scantily clad celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Audrina Partridge to sell their food. In 2005, Carl Jr's created an uproar with an add that featured a provocatively dressed Paris Hilton washing a car and eating a Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger. It created such a frenzy when it was released that a company-made mini-website featuring a longer ad billed as to racy for television crashed for nearly 4 hours do to heavy traffic it was not equipped to handle.

I learned all of this after I ate and recreated the burger. I went and bought two of these sandwiches. One to eat, and another to take apart and study for the purpose of this post. The Steakhouse Thickburger was made for men – Complete with an ad campaign featuring a Hamburger god flanked by gorgeous women indulging on it.

This is a true Man Bite.

Eat well, cook often ...

Fries with a Side of Burger

I started out creating this recipe with the intention of featuring a gourmet burger. It was in creating a side of potatoes to go along with the burger that the focus became the "grill fries."

It took me a while to get them right – tender and fluffy on the inside with a crispy outside. I used a technique employed by many restaurants that make their own french fries. To get the inside and the outside right, the potatoes are cooked twice: pre-cooked to make the inside tender and then cooked again, after a resting period, at a much hotter temperature to get the outside crispy. All of this usually done in a fryer. For this recipe, the first cook of the potatoes is done with boiling, the second with grilling.

The potatoes were so much work that I simplified the sandwich and focused on the fries, which are, coincidentally, my favorite food. If I was stranded on a desert island and I had a choice of food to survive on, it would definitely be french fries -- no ketchup needed!

THE COLUMN
As I just mentioned, french fries are my favorite food. Always have been. The side of burger with my fries theme has always been a joke of mine when eating out and I was glad I was able to share that philosophy in the introduction. Also, it's fitting for this recipe because the fries were more work than the chicken burger, which is nothing out of the ordinary except for the chipotle mayo and pepper jack cheese to give it a spicy kick.

In the "layer the burger" step I tried something different from my past "build a sandwich" technique. I photograph layers individually, creating a fan of the entire sandwich. Notice the difference in how I layered the shrimp wrap in this recipe vs how I have layered the chicken burger.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I had a lot of fun writing the introduction of this one. It's a window into my often wacky thoughts about food. And it's a great way of creating crispy potatoes on the grill. It was the fulfillment of a culinary quest to bring my favorite food into the backyard barbecue without the use of a fryer!

Eat well, cook often ...