Burger Labs

I've been experimenting a lot with burger making lately. Many of the past times I've made gourmet burgers have tended towards the non-traditional or "cheater" ingredients: truffle oil, meatloaf-style mixes, gourmet mushrooms, etc. Those are tasty, but this time around I just wanted a really good, (mostly) traditional burger.

To me, an excellent burger has to have juicy beef taste, a good balance of condiments, and play off the classic flavors. What makes it gourmet is really good execution, depth of flavor, and inventive variations on the core tastes. After a few rounds of experimentation (a sampler of three pictured here), I ended up with this gorgonzola and smoked gouda stuffed burger. It pushes the edge of non-traditional, but it still comes across as a real burger and the mix of meats, walnut oil, and surprising cheeses give it big, layered flavors.

4 oz ground grass fed beef (relatively lean, I used 16%)
1 oz ground pork
1 oz ground lamb
Smoked gouda, 5 small diced cubes
Gorgonzola, 5 small diced cubes
3 medium crimini mushrooms
1 thick slice of Vidalia onion
1 medium slice Brandywine tomato
1 large red lettuce leaf
large brioche bun

To prep, wash and slice the vegetables. Melt a little butter in a small pan and saute the onions (separated) and mushrooms (sliced) in with a pinch of salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the cast iron skillet in the oven (no oil or butter on the pan). Slice the brioche roll and set aside with a plate and tin foil.

You'll want the various meats distributed well so knead throughly. Form a continuous bowl in you hand and place the cheeses in the center, trying to distribute them evenly. Fold over the top edges of the bowl and pinch together well on top. Once formed even out the burger gently, season both sides with salt and pepper and apply a thin coat of walnut oil (olive oil if you don't have walnut) to the outside of the burger. We oil the burger since the skillet is so hot it would smoke any oil or butter placed on it immediately.

Pull the skillet from the oven and place on a burner set at medium-high. Place the burger in the center, gently pat down once (no pressing) to make sure it makes full contact, but don't touch it after that until flipping. After 2 minutes searing on the first side flip the burger carefully and put the skillet in the oven. The burger will probably smoke a little, don't worry that just makes it taste better! For rare burgers, remove from the oven after approximately 2.5 minutes or 3.5 minutes for medium rare. Move to the plate and tent with foil to rest.

Switch the oven to broil and move the rack up, placing the buns to toast underneath while the burger rests. After toasting the buns assemble the burger and add just a touch of hot mustard to the roll to help brighten the taste. Serve and enjoy with a side of twice fried pommes frites and sauces (a post for another day).

You'll get a satisfyingly beefy burger accentuated by the smokiness of the gouda or bite of the gorgonzola. The pork helps keep it moist and the lamb, walnut oil, and sauteed vegetables provide more layers of savory goodness. Brighten that up with a fresh heirloom tomato, crispy lettuce, and a little hot mustard and you have what I call a good gourmet burger.