4th Of July – Burger Fireworks Galore!
Everyone loves the 4th of July! Celebrating our independence from “bangers and mash” is one reason – grilling burgers of all shapes and size is another – like this “double decker!”
Yes, we can “live free and eat hard” this holiday season – for me, I plan to have a more “subtle” cheeseburger…like this one:
Talk About A “Sloppy Joe!”
Ok, that may be just a bit more than I need this weekend, but how can I stop piling on the goodness when it can lead to one of these:
This post is going to celebrate burgers of all shapes and sizes, and share some great recipes for your grilling pleasure as well!
WHAT THE PACHISLO???!!???
I love this picture. My daughter Jessica posed in front of an ad for the “Green Peas Pachislo Burger” when we were in Tokyo…we don’t know what it was, but in hindsight we should have walked in and ordered one, just to get a real picture of it!
First, a big shout out to “Taylor’s Refresher” in St. Helena, California for their great bacon cheeseburger…you can read all about it here:
I am going to profile a few of America’s best burger joints as I showcase some great burger recipes….
Building A Better Burger!
Look at this picture above. Your basic hamburger uses good quality ground beef with at least 15% fat content, to ensure lots of juicy flavor. I add minced onion and garlic, pink hawaiian sea salt, pepper, and a bit of Worcestershire sauce….boom, you are ready to grill!
The All-American Bacon-Cheeseburger!
What can you say? Build your better burger this way and you are golden:
Top Bun
Cheese – melted and dripping
Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!
Slider Patty
Tomato
Pickle
Mayonaise, mayonaise, mayonaise!
Bottom Bun
See that? DO NOT DEVIATE – this is perfection.
OK, you can deviate a little…since my daughter and I were in Tokyo earlier, let me share this japanese burger!
The Japanese Wasabi-Avocado Burger!
Make your patty as usual, but this time top it with sliced avocado, and a heavy dose of wasabi mayonaise. Trader Joe’s sells it, or buy some great mayo and wasabi and mix it together to the strength you can handle…this is delicious with a Sapporo!
Lotteria’s “Bacon Cube” Burger!
If you are inspired by a Japanese take to your cheeseburger, check out these unique burgers from Tokyo, thanks to the unique restaurant “Lotteria”…read all about them right here….
If you head to Seattle, you can find one of America’s best burgers…
Bite Into The Dork!
Here’s an incredible burger being made by Seattle’s “Lunchbox Laboratory”! Check out the recipe by clicking on my review here:
I am also a fan of bending the “burger rules” as necessary to offer up a unique taste sensation…and what better sensation to celebrate than “Sriracha!”
The Sriracha Burger!
This is a GREAT idea…the recipe is from the terrific “Serious Eats” website!
3 pounds ground beef (preferably chuck, 80/20)
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 tablespoons Sriracha
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 large sweet onions
3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
8 sesame seed buns
8 thick slices Swiss cheese
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
Arugula or romaine lettuce
In a large mixing bowl, make your burger patties with the ground beef, soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of the Sriracha and pepper.
Cue The Bacon!
Cook your bacon, then use the bacon fat to cook your onions into a cartelized taste treat!
Grill the burgers, and while they are cooking, combine the blue cheese dressing with the remaining 5 tablespoons Sriracha to use as a topping!
There you go: a cheesy, oniony, spicy, bacon-y thing of greatness!
And speaking of “GREATNESS”, how about a bacon-covered macaroni-and-cheeseburger!
A Bacon Macaroni-and-Cheeseburger With Tater Tots!
Once you’ve tried this, you will never go back to a plain old cheeseburger again!
It’s easy! Instead of cheese, cover your burger with mac’n’cheese! Throw some bacon in there and make sure your tater tots get under the bun as well!
And if you really want to get weird, try my favorite burger of all:
Behold The French Fry Burger!
And of course, my favorite burger of all is this: just add french fries to the top of the burger, then a bit of tartar sauce, and top it off with cheddar cheese – a burger and fries all in one!
No matter which recipe you try, spend this fourth of July doing what all Americans should be doing: eating meat and waiting for the fireworks! Happy July 4th!
