Category Archives: Burgers

Thai Style Burger

Asian, Beef, Burgers, Ethnic, Game Day, Rice, Sauce, Thai

This past weekend was loaded with some new recipe creations, including that of the Thai three sauce, and an array of other items. As I was planning out dinner for the family, I decided to make some of their favorite Vietnamese style chicken, along with sticky rice. My kids love sticky rice, and so do I for that matter, and while I was soaking the rice, a thought came into my head. Go figure. I thought, why not take the rice, form them into buns, lightly fry them and well, make a cheeseburger. Crazy, I know, but interesting, and pretty darn delicious. I probably got the idea from old posts regarding a ramen style burger, and most likely because I was making stock the night before for ramen.

Thai Style Burger

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of Thai sticky rice, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
  • 1/2 lb ground chuck, formed into a patty
  • Thai Three Sauce, see recipe
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • Lettuce, shredded, optional
  • pickles, optional
  • 1/2 cup cooking oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • cracked black pepper, to taste

Start by straining your rice, until the water runs clear.

I use a particular rice steamer, but you could probably follow these directions as well. I add water to my steamer, bring to a boil, and soak a wicker steaming basket, then insert into the steamer, being careful the bottom of the basket does not touch the top of the water.

Add the rice, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, then remove the basket, bang the basket on the side of your stove or counter, and use your motion, much like you would flip an egg in a skillet, and flip the rice to the other side. Return to the steamer, cover, and cook another 10 minutes.

Once cooked, dump out onto a large board, and use a spatula to break up the rice, then fan it to prevent it from further cooking. Add to a bowl, and cover with a towel.

Next, heat a skillet with the oil and bring it up to temperature.

Take some of the rice, and form into bun shaped patties. You want about a half inch thick. I use ring molds form precision in both the rice patty, as well as the burger.

Once you have formed the two rice patties, add one to the oil, and cook on both sides until a light golden brown occurs. Remove and place on a paper-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining rice patty.

During this time, form your burger patty, and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Drain the oil, and return back onto the stove on medium heat.

How to make a Thai Style Burger

Toss in the shallots, and push them to the edge, continuing to cook while you add the burger patty. Sear the burger, and cook to your liking. I go medium with mine.

Next, bring it all together.

Take one of the rice patties, and slather it with the Thai sauce. If you do not have Thai three sauce (highly recommend it), then use an Asian chili sauce. Top with the shallots, and burger. Pile on the lettuce, then the remaining rice patty. Spear a few pickles on top, and dig in.

The rice patty was super interesting. Not too crispy as you would think, but it also did not break apart when eating it which I loved. The burger was cooked perfectly and when paired with that awesome sauce, along with the sweetness from the cooked shallots, well, this was a pretty excellent burger. I’ll pat myself on the back on this one for creativity. Hope you enjoy…


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Thai Style Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: Burgers
Cuisine: Thai
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of Thai sticky rice, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
  • ½ lb ground chuck, formed into a patty
  • Thai Three Sauce, see recipe
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • Lettuce, shredded, optional
  • pickles, optional
  • ½ cup cooking oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Start by straining your rice, until the water runs clear.
  2. I use a particular rice steamer, but you could probably follow these directions as well. I add water to my steamer, bring to a boil, and soak a wicker steaming basket, then insert into the steamer, being careful the bottom of the basket does not touch the top of the water.
  3. Add the rice, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, then remove the basket, bang the basket on the side of your stove or counter, and use your motion, much like you would flip an egg in a skillet, and flip the rice to the other side. Return to the steamer, cover, and cook another 10 minutes.
  4. Once cooked, dump out onto a large board, and use a spatula to break up the rice, then fan it to prevent it from further cooking. Add to a bowl, and cover with a towel.
  5. Next, heat a skillet with the oil and bring it up to temperature.
  6. Take some of the rice, and form into bun shaped patties. You want about a half inch thick. I use ring molds form precision in both the rice patty, as well as the burger.
  7. Once you have formed the two rice patties, add one to the oil, and cook on both sides until a light golden brown occurs. Remove and place on a paper-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining rice patty.
  8. During this time, form your burger patty, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
  9. Drain the oil, and return back onto the stove on medium heat.
  10. Toss in the shallots, and push them to the edge, continuing to cook while you add the burger patty. Sear the burger, and cook to your liking. I go medium with mine.
  11. Next, bring it all together.
  12. Take one of the rice patties, and slather it with the Thai sauce. If you do not have Thai three sauce (highly recommend it), then use an Asian chili sauce. Top with the shallots, and burger. Pile on the lettuce, then the remaining rice patty. Spear a few pickles on top, and dig in.
  13. The rice patty was super interesting. Not too crispy as you would think, but it also did not break apart when eating it which I loved. The burger was cooked perfectly and when paired with that awesome sauce, along with the sweetness from the cooked shallots, well, this was a pretty excellent burger. I’ll pat myself on the back on this one for creativity. Hope you enjoy…

 

Corned Beef Cheeseburger

Beef, Burgers, Game Day, Sandwiches

Last Friday night we decided to make the classic Wisconsin fish fry. A friend in the family caught a bunch of local crappie and was generous enough to give us a ton of fresh fillets. We were excited to say the least. So as I normally prepare a fish fry, I served it up with fries, coleslaw, lemon wedges, and great salted, caraway rye bread. Did I mention I love rye bread? A couple of days later, I found myself in a stare down with the leftover loaf of rye bread. I had to do something with it, and then I realized I also had a nice portion of vacuum sealed corned beef that I had leftover not too long ago. Things were coming together, and then that when this idea occurred to me. I had a real hankering for a cheeseburger, but I also had a real hankering for a conned beef sandwich. I thought I would combine them and make one of the best cheeseburgers I might have had to date. The corned beef cheeseburger.

Corned Beef Cheeseburger

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 ground chuck
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup of cooked corned beef, shredded
  • 2 slices Swiss Lorraine cheese
  • 2 tbsp Thousand Island Dressing
  • 1/2 cup coleslaw mix (carrots and cabbage)
  • 2, one inch slices of salted rye bread

Start by forming your ground chuck into a lose ball, and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Preheat a non-stick skillet, or a large cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.

Lightly toast the salted rye bread and set it aside.

Add the ground chuck to the heated pan. It should sizzle immediately. Let this cook a couple of minutes, then with a large, sturdy spatula, or burger press, smash it down, flattening the burger completely. Let this continue to cook for another couple of minutes, then flip it over and cook another couple of minutes. When you flip it over, you should get a nice, caramelized exterior. I love that.

After a couple of minutes, lay on the slices of swiss cheese. Let this begin to melt.

Corned Beef Cheeseburger

In the meantime, spread the dressing on the bottom of each slice of bread. Yes, you are going to get dressing on the top and bottom. That’s how I roll.

Once the cheese is melted, add the corned beef, covering the cheese. Lay the burger onto one of the slices of toasted bread, then top with the coleslaw mixture. Add the top slice of bread, then give a gentle push on the burger. Dig in.

Not only is this burger sexy to look at it. Trust me, I looked at it for a few minutes, probably thinking to myself ‘I’m going to eat this beast?’, but really, it is a beautiful burger. First bite, I was sold. That great texture from the lightly toasted rye bread with the awesome flavor of that corned beef, I could have stopped there and been sold, but then came that swiss cheese smashburger that just brings it all together. If you are looking for an awesome burger that is really tasty and unique, give this one a shot. I guarantee you will get the best of both worlds.

Lamb Burger

Burgers, Grilling, Sandwiches, Sauce

You already know I am a big fan of burgers. Whether they are concocted with beef, chicken, pork, or lamb, I will pretty much create something out of anything. I was recently spotlighted on Tasty Kitchen with my eggs benedict burger, but I’ve also been playing around with other burger ideas such as pad Thai sliders. Those two alone should already indicate my love for not only the burger but the creative process in creating one. It was not too long ago when I found some lamb on sale at the store. Lamb is something I typically never purchase as it is rather expensive, and well, I don’t have much use for it rather than making a batch of homemade gyros, or gyro potato skins, but it was on sale, so I figured I would do something with it. As I was getting ready for work one morning, I was thinking of slow cooking the lamb and figure out something to make when I got back home, but then I thought of making a burger out of it, yep, this is where the lamb burger starts.

Lamb Burger

When I began looking at the lamb, I realized it had some really great fat content, and that’s really when I thought of making a burger. I did not realize the lamb was on the bone, so it took a few minutes to get the lamb off the bone, and there’s no better way to start off your morning than that, right? Lets just say it was worth it. I was, and still a big fan of ground chuck as my meat of choice when it comes to a burger, but this lamb was something out of this world.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound ground lamb, cut into cubes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 slices of tomato
  • 1/2 cup of head lettuce, torn
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
  • 2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 whole hamburger bun
  • 2 kalamata olives, pitted, optional

Start by pulling down the leaves of the rosemary and place on top of your minced garlic. Top that with the salt, and use your knife and begin rubbing and cutting that into your cutting board, making a paste, as best as you can. This will all go into the grinder, so making fine paste is not desired.

Next, take your lamb meat and add to your meat grinder. If you do not have a grinder, place the meat in a sealable bag in the freezer until it just begins to harden, then use a chef’s knife and begin to cut it into a fine mixture, as though you were grinding. Run your rosemary garlic mixture in the grinder as well, midway through the meat grinding process. The meat mixture should be kept in a medium sized bowl. Give a good stir, seal, and let this marinate 4-10 hours, covered in the refrigerator. I went with 9 hours as I had to go to work.

About 30 minutes before making your burger, take the meat mixture out of the refrigerator, form into a large ball, and let this come close to room temperature, or enough to take the chill off.

During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients. Add the feta to a small bowl, and add in the yogurt. Stir, and set aside.

How to make a lamb burger

Get a large cast iron skillet onto the stove and set on medium-high heat. After a few minutes of heating up, take your lamb ball and add it to the skillet. Give just a slight press, then let this cook for a couple of minutes. After 2-3 minutes, use a large spatula or burger press, and smash it down. Yes, smash it down. Let this cook another minute for flipping and cooking another few minutes.

During the last several minutes, slather the yogurt mixture all over the base of the bottom bun. Add the cooked lamb burger on top, then top with the slices of tomato, lettuce, and cucumber slices. Add the top bun, then garnish with a toothpick full of kalamata olives.

You will notice right off the bat this great crisp you get on the burger, primarily due to the fact that the lamb has great fat content, plus you offered that great smash technique.

When you bite into this burger, you will be sold right away. It’s packed with this awesome rosemary and garlic flavor (that I really, really love with lamb) that is perfectly balanced by the feta and yogurt mixture. Then you get this crunch of the thinly sliced cucumber and the lettuce and tomato. This burger was hard to put down, and let’s just say that I will be making this one again. If you are looking for a different burger recipe, give this one a shot.

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Lamb Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: Burgers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • ½ pound ground lamb, cut into cubes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 slices of tomato
  • ½ cup of head lettuce, torn
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced cucumbers
  • 2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 whole hamburger bun
  • 2 kalamata olives, pitted, optional
Instructions
  1. Start by pulling down the leaves of the rosemary and place on top of your minced garlic. Top that with the salt, and use your knife and begin rubbing and cutting that into your cutting board, making a paste, as best as you can. This will all go into the grinder, so making fine paste is not desired.
  2. Next, take your lamb meat and add to your meat grinder. If you do not have a grinder, place the meat in a sealable bag in the freezer until it just begins to harden, then use a chef's knife and begin to cut it into a fine mixture, as though you were grinding. Run your rosemary garlic mixture in the grinder as well, midway through the meat grinding process. The meat mixture should be kept in a medium sized bowl. Give a good stir, seal, and let this marinate 4-10 hours, covered in the refrigerator. I went with 9 hours as I had to go to work.
  3. About 30 minutes before making your burger, take the meat mixture out of the refrigerator, form into a large ball, and let this come close to room temperature, or enough to take the chill off.
  4. During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients. Add the feta to a small bowl, and add in the yogurt. Stir, and set aside.
  5. Get a large cast iron skillet onto the stove and set on medium-high heat. After a few minutes of heating up, take your lamb ball and add it to the skillet. Give just a slight press, then let this cook for a couple of minutes. After 2-3 minutes, use a large spatula or burger press, and smash it down. Yes, smash it down. Let this cook another minute for flipping and cooking another few minutes.
  6. During the last several minutes, slather the yogurt mixture all over the base of the bottom bun. Add the cooked lamb burger on top, then top with the slices of tomato, lettuce, and cucumber slices. Add the top bun, then garnish with a toothpick full of kalamata olives.
  7. You will notice right off the bat this great crisp you get on the burger, primarily due to the fact that the lamb has great fat content, plus you offered that great smash technique.
  8. When you bite into this burger, you will be sold right away. It's packed with this awesome rosemary and garlic flavor (that I really, really love with lamb) that is perfectly balanced by the feta and yogurt mixture. Then you get this crunch of the thinly sliced cucumber and the lettuce and tomato. This burger was hard to put down, and let's just say that I will be making this one again. If you are looking for a different burger recipe, give this one a shot.

 

The Eggs Benedict Burger

Bacon, Beef, Breakfast, Burgers, Events, Game Day, Nueske's, Sauce, Wisconsin

I don’t know about you but I am a huge fan of eggs benedict, however I do not nearly get to order them as often as I should. Why, you ask? Well, because I have three kids, who on a Sunday, and I’m not up for dealing with any misbehavior, or tom foolery at brunch. I just don’t want to have to deal with that, plain and simple, plus if I want, I can make whatever I want, for the most part, for brunch.  I have made eggs benedict in the past, but I wanted to make something a bit heartier as it was already into the lunch time hour, and I was super hungry. This is when I decided to take everything that I love about eggs benedict, and well, turn it into a burger. A very, awesome burger at that.

Eggs Benedict Burger Recipe

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Hollandaise Sauce: (recipe from Simply Recipes)

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ingredients for the Burger:

  • 1/4 ground chuck
  • 1 slice of quality Canadian Bacon, I used Nueskes
  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 English Muffins, tops thinly sliced and discarded
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of cracked black pepper

Start by making the hollandaise sauce. I went with the recipe as I wanted to explore and try something different. This sauce was good, but I will use mine next time.

Start by slowly melting the butter. During this time, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne to a blender. Blend the mixture at medium, to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender speed down to its lowest setting, and begin drizzling in the melted butter, slowly, while the blender is still going. Continue to blend until all of the butter. Turn off the blender, and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony, and lightly salted. Store in a warm spot until you are ready to use. I stored mine near the stove.

Now, onto making the burger.

How to make the eggs benedict burger

I used the same skillet that I melted the butter to lightly cook the Canadian bacon, as well as make my burger. I know, shameful right?

Once the Canadian bacon is warmed through, set this aside.

Form your ground chuck into a ball, and season with salt. Heat the skillet on medium high heat.

Add the burger, let cook for about three minutes. Smash it down, and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Flip, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.

Remove, season with cracked pepper, and set aside.

Toast the English muffins. I thinly sliced the tops off just so that I would have a bit larger muffin to work with on this burger.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to another skillet and bring that up to medium heat. Once melted, crack the egg. I went with an over easy egg on this one, not poached. Cook to your desired likeness.

The Eggs Benedict Burger

Now it is time to build the burger.

Lay the burger on top of a slice of the toasted English muffin. Add the Canadian bacon, then the egg, then pour over as much hollandaise sauce as you desire. Top with the remaining muffin.

Dig in. This is a two handed burger that you will most likely not want to put down. If you feel guilty eating it, then I am OK with it. It’s not like you are eating these once a day, but you talk about a killer brunch burger idea, well, this would be the one. I hope you enjoy the eggs benedict burger.

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The Eggs Benedict Burger
Author: 
Cuisine: Burgers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
A twist on a classic brunch item.
Ingredients
  • Ingredients for the Hollandaise Sauce: (recipe from Simply Recipes)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Ingredients for the Burger:
  • ¼ ground chuck
  • 1 slice of quality Canadian Bacon, I used Nueskes
  • ½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 English Muffins, tops thinly sliced and discarded
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of cracked black pepper
Instructions
  1. Start by making the hollandaise sauce. I went with the recipe as I wanted to explore and try something different. This sauce was good, but I will use mine next time.
  2. Start by slowly melting the butter. During this time, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne to a blender. Blend the mixture at medium, to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender speed down to its lowest setting, and begin drizzling in the melted butter, slowly, while the blender is still going. Continue to blend until all of the butter. Turn off the blender, and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony, and lightly salted. Store in a warm spot until you are ready to use. I stored mine near the stove.
  3. Now, onto making the burger.
  4. How to make the eggs benedict burger
  5. I used the same skillet that I melted the butter to lightly cook the Canadian bacon, as well as make my burger. I know, shameful right?
  6. Once the Canadian bacon is warmed through, set this aside.
  7. Form your ground chuck into a ball, and season with salt. Heat the skillet on medium high heat.
  8. Add the burger, let cook for about three minutes. Smash it down, and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Flip, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
  9. Remove, season with cracked pepper, and set aside.
  10. Toast the English muffins. I thinly sliced the tops off just so that I would have a bit larger muffin to work with on this burger.
  11. Add ½ tablespoon of butter to another skillet and bring that up to medium heat. Once melted, crack the egg. I went with an over easy egg on this one, not poached. Cook to your desired likeness.
  12. Now it is time to build the burger.
  13. Lay the burger on top of a slice of the toasted English muffin. Add the Canadian bacon, then the egg, then pour over as much hollandaise sauce as you desire. Top with the remaining muffin.
  14. Dig in. This is a two handed burger that you will most likely not want to put down. If you feel guilty eating it, then I am OK with it. It's not like you are eating these once a day, but you talk about a killer brunch burger idea, well, this would be the one. I hope you enjoy the eggs benedict burger.