Big Burger with Bacon Jam
An indulgent beef and pork burger with quick bacon jam.
This is a big burger.
Actually this is a burger's burger.
And I mean a very indulgent, satisfying, if-i'm-going-to-spend-some-calories-this-is-how-I'll-do-it kind of burger.
I shared a burger here before. A nice, easy little Italian inspired burger. Great flavour. Not too messy. A solid burger.
This is NOT that burger.
This is that burgers' ex-pro football, just out of jail, highly likely to reoffend older brother.
Most would agree, the burger is a whole lot about the bun. When I saw these pillowy soft brioche buns at a local market there was no way a burger was not going to happen. It's so funny...in my little space here on the web there are many things I feel are not recipe worthy. That is, they are (a) so personal it feels wrong to tell you how to make it and/or (b) so forgiving, you could sub out almost any ingredient for a distant cousin and yield a pretty good result. A burger tends to fall into this category. The meat - fat content, mixed proteins, fillers? The bun - soft, chewy, gluten-free, (or maybe gasp) no bun? And then there are the condiments, the toppings... to cheese or not to cheese (who doesn't?)... to sauce or not to sauce (stop saucing!).
Perhaps it comes with age, perhaps it comes with experience but I have decided to boldly tell you how to make a damn good burger. It's simple. It's a crowd pleaser. And if all else fails...
... just make the bacon jam and eat it by the spoonful. Your welcome. =)
Big Burger with Bacon Jam
Author: Food Well Said
Serves: 4
An indulgent beef and pork burger with quick bacon jam.
Ingredients
- 10 oz lean ground beef
- 10 oz ground pork
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cracked pepper
- 6 pieces of thick cut, double smoked bacon, chopped
- 1/4 sweet white onion, minced
- 3/4 cup pasata (tomato puree)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or agave)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar
- four slices of german butter cheese (or other preferred cheese)
- 4 thick slices of red onion
- 4 large leaves of green leafy lettuce and/or pea shoots
- 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard
- 4 soft brioche buns (to make four single burgers, or 6 buns if you want the extra bread for doubles)
Instructions
- For the burgers:
- In a medium bowl, combine the pork and beef until just combined. Flatten into thin 5 oz patties that are slightly larger then the buns. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let come to room temp before grilling. Cook the patties over medium high heat on a preheated BBQ grill. DO NOT press down at anytime on the patties. Cook through, adding cheese for final three minutes to melt.
- For the bacon jam:
- Heat heavy skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add pasata, smoked paprika, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt and vinegar. Stir to combine, bring to an active simmer and then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook down about 20 minutes until a paste/jam like consistency is achieved. Let cool (you can put it in the fridge to speed the process)
- For the (single) burger assembly:
- Spread the bacon jam on bottom bun, then add lettuce leaf, burger, red onion and more lettuce (and or pea shoots). Spread top bun with 1/2 tablespoon of yellow mustard. Top meets bottom and enjoy!
3.3.3070
