Bacon-Beef Burger (june)
Bacon-Beef Burger
by JUNE XIE
This 50/50 burger is 50% beef and 50% bacon, inspired by Scott Slater's legendary patty. Because salting your beef mixture during the mixing stage causes proteins to coagulate prematurely, most recipes call for only salting the patty surface right before cooking in order to avoid producing rubbery burgers. Although fine in theory, this superficial layer of seasoning can produce a patty that tastes bland, flat, and too beefy.
The 50/50 burger doesn't have this problem: 50% of the patty mix is already smoked, cured, and perfectly seasoned. Minced by hand, the plump dice of fatty, salty pork melts into the patty as it sears away on a hot cast iron skillet, drawing out the natural sweetness of both meats while checking the gaminess of lean beef.
One tip: avoid mashing the patty mixture too much to keep it slightly aerated. This ensures that your burger maintains a tender structure-watch the video to see the patty-forming technique!
With such a flavorful patty in hand, simple toppings do the trick: crunchy, refreshing iceberg lettuce in place of bready buns, a dollop of homemade special sauce with all my favorite condiments, and a few thin slices of naturally sweet and spicy yellow onions.
6 SERVINGS
FOR THE BURGERS
12 oz. thick-cut smoked bacon, minced
12 oz. 90% lean ground beef
1 tbsp. canola oil
Kosher salt
FOR THE SPECIAL SAUCE
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. lime juice
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 c. mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
2 tsp. honey dijon mustard
1/4 c. finely chopped pickles
3 tbsp. finely chopped onions
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
1 large clove garlic, grated
FOR SERVING
Iceberg lettuce
Thinly sliced onions
On a small sheet tray or large plate, loosely spread minced bacon in a single layer, then top with ground beef in a single layer. Using a bench scraper, cut meat mixture down the middle and stack one-half of mixture on top of the other. Repeat cutting and stacking twice more, lightly patting down to combine mixture.
Divide mixture into six equal portions, 4 ounces each. Gently toss each portion back and forth between your hands to shape them into balls, then lightly flatten each ball into a 3 ½”-wide patty.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add patties and cook, in batches if necessary, until a thick golden crust has formed, 3 to 4 minutes. Season tops of patties lightly with salt, then flip and cook on other side until patties reach an internal temperature of 145°, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and let rest 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, make special sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients.
To serve, place each patty inside a lettuce leaf folded in half. Top with a heaping tablespoon of special sauce and sliced onions.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a27394951/bacon-burger-recipe/
by JUNE XIE
This 50/50 burger is 50% beef and 50% bacon, inspired by Scott Slater's legendary patty. Because salting your beef mixture during the mixing stage causes proteins to coagulate prematurely, most recipes call for only salting the patty surface right before cooking in order to avoid producing rubbery burgers. Although fine in theory, this superficial layer of seasoning can produce a patty that tastes bland, flat, and too beefy.
The 50/50 burger doesn't have this problem: 50% of the patty mix is already smoked, cured, and perfectly seasoned. Minced by hand, the plump dice of fatty, salty pork melts into the patty as it sears away on a hot cast iron skillet, drawing out the natural sweetness of both meats while checking the gaminess of lean beef.
One tip: avoid mashing the patty mixture too much to keep it slightly aerated. This ensures that your burger maintains a tender structure-watch the video to see the patty-forming technique!
With such a flavorful patty in hand, simple toppings do the trick: crunchy, refreshing iceberg lettuce in place of bready buns, a dollop of homemade special sauce with all my favorite condiments, and a few thin slices of naturally sweet and spicy yellow onions.
6 SERVINGS
FOR THE BURGERS
12 oz. thick-cut smoked bacon, minced
12 oz. 90% lean ground beef
1 tbsp. canola oil
Kosher salt
FOR THE SPECIAL SAUCE
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. lime juice
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 c. mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
2 tsp. honey dijon mustard
1/4 c. finely chopped pickles
3 tbsp. finely chopped onions
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
1 large clove garlic, grated
FOR SERVING
Iceberg lettuce
Thinly sliced onions
On a small sheet tray or large plate, loosely spread minced bacon in a single layer, then top with ground beef in a single layer. Using a bench scraper, cut meat mixture down the middle and stack one-half of mixture on top of the other. Repeat cutting and stacking twice more, lightly patting down to combine mixture.
Divide mixture into six equal portions, 4 ounces each. Gently toss each portion back and forth between your hands to shape them into balls, then lightly flatten each ball into a 3 ½”-wide patty.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add patties and cook, in batches if necessary, until a thick golden crust has formed, 3 to 4 minutes. Season tops of patties lightly with salt, then flip and cook on other side until patties reach an internal temperature of 145°, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and let rest 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, make special sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients.
To serve, place each patty inside a lettuce leaf folded in half. Top with a heaping tablespoon of special sauce and sliced onions.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a27394951/bacon-burger-recipe/