An Outstanding Burger

A freshly ground mix of pork and beef with a coffee rub and a whipped maple bacon cream cheese make for the ultimate burger experience.

This burger.  This is an outstanding burger.

And I've wanted to make an outstanding burger for quite some time.  This is the one.

A few years ago I made this burger and it is good.  Its actually great.  But it's a weeknight burger.  It is a simple, but flavourful Italian style hamburger you make for the family on a Wednesday night.

And then I made this burger.  THAT was a good burger.  It is still is.  I had just discovered brioche buns and bacon jam and from that I knew there was going to be a burger.

But this is an outstanding burger. The kind you make when you have people coming over - your favourite people.

An outstanding burger is the sum of its quality parts.  Sure you can skip or substitute a few components along the way and you might not be able to pick out exactly what was missing but something will be missing.  It is the way the house grind, butter stuffed, coffee rubbed, maple bacon whipped cheese drizzled, crispy shallot topped, layered between a squishy potato roll all work together.  It is worthy of being called An Outstanding Burger.

There is no substitute for grinding your own meat and it is way easier than it sounds.  I have a grinder but my old processor was the tool of choice here and it worked fantastically.  The key is really really cold cubed meat, nearly frozen but not. There is no filler in these burgers - its just not necessary.  No bread crumbs, no egg.  Just the meat and the seasoning.  The coffee rub is an unexpected compliment.  I have done a coffee rub on wings before and it was such a success.  I love combing java with beef.

The crispy shallots and the soft potato buns flank the burger on the texture scale.  You could substitute an onion kettle potato chip here if you did want to skip a step.  No mayo, ketchup, mustard or relish require.  And this is coming from the QUEEN of condiments.

I am not a fan of fussy or complicated food and as I wrote this recipe I feared I was heading down that path.  I do believe simple is always the best default.. BUT every once in a while, it is fun to get a little messy in the creative process of recipe development and this result was truly outstanding.

Enjoy!

Burger

Author: Food Well Said

Ingredients

• 600g boneless beef brisket
• 400g boneless pork shoulder
• .
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• .
• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• .
• 4 tbsp Canadian feta
• .
• 2 tbsp finely ground coffee beans/espresso beans
• 2 tbsp smoke paprika
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• .
• 8 slices bacon, roughly chopped
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 1 tbsp Canadian maple syrup
• .
• 2 medium sized shallots
• 2 tbsp all purpose white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or enough to fry in about 1 inch of oil)
• .
• 4 white potato rolls
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. The Burger:
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Cut both meats into bite size chunks and spread out on parchment. Flash freeze for 30 minutes. (now is a good time to make the whipped cream cheese & the rub) Transfer the meat, along with the spices to a food processor and pulse several times until the meat resembles a coarse grind. Alternatively, use a meat grinder and alternate beef and pork through the course setting. Form the meat into four equal balls. Put ½ tsp of butter into the centre of each ball and then flatten the patty to the size of your choice. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.
3. The Rub:
4. Combine all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl. When it is time to cook the burgers, generously pat the spice rub over both sides and around the burger edges. Heat the grill to medium high heat. (Note: these burgers are also delicious in a cast iron pan) Place burgers on the grill and close the lid. Once the first side is deeply carmelized, (about 6-7 minutes) flip the burgers, sprinkle with feta cheese and then close the lid again, cooking until burger reaches desired doneness (recommended medium rare). Set aside and let rest.
5. Whipped Maple Bacon Cream Cheese:
6. In a heavy pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Drain and set bacon aside to cool. In a food processor, add bacon and cream cheese and process until well combined. With processor running, slowly drizzle in maple syrup. Once combined, set aside until burger assembly.
7. Crispy Shallots:
8. Using a sharp knife or mandoline (1/8th inch), finely slice the shallots and set aside. On a small plate, mix together the flour and salt. Light toss the shallots in until well covered with the flour. Heat the oil over medium high heat and once hot (test a ring to see if if sizzles), fry the onions in batches if necessary, until light golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them and place on a paper towel.
9. Build the Burger:
10. Slice potato buns and lightly toast on the grill. On the bottom bun, generously apply the whipped bacon cream cheese. Add the feta topped burger and top with the crispy onions. Brush the top bun with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Grab a napkin (and a beer, we are Canadian after all) and dig in!

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