20 Burgers of Summer
The Lee Brothers’ Dirty South Burger
Your new favorite words are "cheese relish." Don't look at us like that
Chefs Matt and Ted Lee created a Cheese Relish Burger A classic cheese on a classic burger — Southern style.
No slab of American would suffice for Matt Lee and Ted Lee, brothers who have made careers out of sharing the flavors of the South.
“A thick slab of melting cheese has always been our favorite addition to a burger,” Matt said in an e-mail. “But our cravings these days also run to snappier, spicy-sour sensations that temper the richness of the cheese-topped burger and speed us toward a second helping.”
So they reached for that classic Southern food, pimento cheese, albeit with an update.
“Our favorite new variation on pimento cheese uses Swiss (instead of the traditional cheddar) and banana peppers (instead of roasted red peppers),” said Matt Lee, who with his brother wrote the recent “The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern.”
“We add capers, chives and chili flakes to torque the flavor up to 11 and to reinforce the crumbly, relish-like texture of the spread,” he said.
The result is a pleasantly piquant Southern take on the classic burger.
Ingredients
Cheese Relish
Start to Finish: 10 minutes
Makes 2 cups (enough for 16 burgers)
- 10 ounces Swiss cheese, finely grated
- 12-ounce jar banana peppers, drained (1 tablespoon of the liquid reserved) and finely minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallions
- 2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
Cheese Relish Burger
Start to Finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
- 8 tablespoons cheese relish
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted
- 4 leaves iceberg lettuce, optional
- 1 onion, thinly sliced into rings, optional
- Condiments, as desired
Directions
Cheese Relish
- In a large bowl, combine the cheese, banana peppers, reserved banana pepper liquid, chives or scallions, capers, pepper flakes and black pepper. Use your hands to knead the mixture together until evenly blended. Season with salt, then mix again. The relish can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Cheese Relish Burgers
- Divide the cheese into 4 balls, 2 tablespoons each. Flatten each ball into a thick patty. Set aside.
- Form the ground beef into 4 balls and flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patties.
- Heat a grill to high and brush the rack with the oil. Alternatively, heat a large skillet over high and add the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat until the oil shimmers and begins to smoke.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and cook the burgers for 3 minutes on each side. With a spatula, flip again and cook for another 1 ½ minutes on the first side, then for another 1 ½ minutes on the second side for medium-rare.
- Top each burger with a patty of the cheese relish, cover the grill or pan, and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the burgers to the buns and let rest for 2 minutes. Top each burger with lettuce, onion and condiments, as desired.
BBQ master Adam Perry Lang offers up a half-pound of heaven
Owner of Daisy May's in New York gives us what we need: salt, fat, cheese and caramelized onions. Hallelujah
Adam Perry Lang's griddled and grilled Monterey Jack cheeseburger with spicy chipotle caramelized onions and cilantro. When crafting a great burger, check the weather.
So goes the advice of Adam Perry Lang, owner of New York’s Daisy May’s BBQ USA restaurant, a classic rib shack known for its whole pig, pulled pork and beef ribs.
“Sometimes I love a burger that is rich in fat — 70-30 blend of protein to fat,” he said in an email. “I like these on colder days when I need fat and heartiness. In the summertime, a leaner burger is appreciated. 90-10 can do the trick.”
Whatever your blend, cook with care. He aims to create a moist, tender interior and a well-developed caramelized crust. He also favours a liberal amount of salt.
Continue Reading CloseA burger by Daisy Martinez that says “party on my plate”
Figs? Ham? Host of "Viva Daisy" on the Food Network introduces salty and sweet to your hamburguesa
The Barcelona burger is seen in this July 2, 2010 photo. Contrasting flavors that all balance out is the aim of this burger from chef Daisy Martinez. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)(Credit: AP) For Daisy Martinez, a great burger does a bit of tug-of-war in your mouth.
“I always like to put together flavors that complement as well as contrast each other. This concept is especially important when creating a burger because you should experience that ‘kapow factor’ with each and every bite,” she said in an e-mail.
So for her contribution to AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer series, Martinez sought a balance of salty and sweet, which she satisfied by pairing grilled fresh figs with serrano ham.
Continue Reading CloseRegular Joe creates a spicy burger with Chinese twist
AP puts its token vox populi writer to the ultimate foodie test, and he brings the hot, hot heat
Ted Anthony's Old Chengdu Snack Burgers Unlike the other pushers of AP’s 20 Burgers of Summer, I’m no celebrity. I’m just a guy who happens to work with AP’s food editor, and who has spent much of the past decade pushing carnivorousness upon Said Food Editor and taking unfair credit for his rejection of vegetarianism.
In short: In this crowd of gastronomic hauties, I’m the token vox populi. I’m the man on the street they always interview after someone important comes to town, only with hamburgers.
Continue Reading CloseCan a burger taste great and be good for the earth?
Proponent of ecologically-sound cooking puts the "hip" in hippie and makes a meal devoid of sprouts or tofu
Michel Nischan's eco burger For Michel Nischan, building a better burger is part of making the world a better place.
“I have seen all kinds of outlandish burger ideas, from making burgers with vegetables, fish, shrimp, you name it,” said Nischan, whose cookbook, “Sustainably Delicious,” and Westport, Conn., restaurant Dressing Room focus on ecologically sound eating.
“Yet as great and creative as these burgers can be (and fun), nothing beats a burger made with the meat that burgers were meant to be made with — grass-fed and grass-finished beef,” Nischan said in an e-mail.
Continue Reading CloseEric Ripert, Frenchman, goes native with an American classic
French haute cuisine superstar from four-star Le Bernardin draws inspiration from ... fatty fast food? Mon dieu!
French chef Eric Ripert's Westend bistro burger is seen in this June 7, 2010 photo. Ripert looked to some successful fast food burger joints for some inspiration when creating his Westend bistro burger. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)(Credit: AP) When Eric Ripert set out to make the perfect burger, he found his inspiration in an unlikely place.
“It may sound crazy coming from a French chef, but the inspiration behind this burger is actually McDonald’s and Burger King,” said Ripert, the man behind New York’s award-winning Le Bernardin restaurant and Westend Bistro in Washington.
For Ripert, a great burger must be perfectly proportioned, a trait he thinks the fast-food giants have aced.
“All the elements are carefully controlled,” he said via email. “The way they cut the pickles, the way they cut the tomatoes, the way they slice the salad, and the size, obviously make those burgers perfect.”
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