Nothing says summer quite like the sound of real beef sizzling on the grill, and there’s no better time to enjoy a juicy burger than on May 28 for National Beef Burger Day. Check out some recipes and tips for a delicious beef burger.

BEEF BURGER BATTLE

Try these delicious beef burger recipes from popular chefs, Hugh Acheson, Ryan Clark, Brooke Williamson, Lamar Moore, and Esther Choi. Make them all and decide which one is your favorite.

SMASHED SIRLOIN BURGER

Try this delicious Smash Sirloin Burger recipe from Chef Hugh Acheson

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4, 5 to 6-ounce 90/10 beef Ground Sirloin Burger Patties, pre-formed or form by hand
  • 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black peppercorn to taste
  • 4 slices halloumi cheese
  • 8 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 teaspoons prepared harissa
  • 8 leaves Little Gem lettuce, washed
  • 16 dill pickle rounds
  • 4 sesame seed buns

COOKING:

  1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to the skillet. Place each patty in the cast iron skillet and flatten with a spatula or a flat steak weight. Cook until the outer edges are browned, about 2 minutes.
  2. Flip the patty and season with salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on the second side and then remove from heat when patty reaches 160°F as measured by a meat thermometer and place on a cooling rack placed over a plate or sheet pan. Repeat process for all burger patties.
  3. Add the halloumi cheese directly to the pan with the burger drippings and cook for two minutes on just one side. Remove from the heat and place on the burger patties. Let rest for two minutes.
  4. While resting, combine the mayo and the harissa and blend with a fork.
  5. To build, place one leaf of lettuce on the bottom half of the bun and then place the burger patty with halloumi on top of that. Add pickles and a big dollop of the harissa mayo and then a second lettuce leaf. Top with the bun top. Repeat for each burger and eat.

BEEF CHORIZO AND EGG CHEESEBURGER

Try this Beef Chorizo and Egg Cheeseburger recipe from Chef Ryan Clark

INGREDIENTS:

Beef Chorizo and Egg Cheeseburger:

  • 2 pounds 80/20 beef Ground Brisket (or other available 80/20 Ground Beef)
  • Canola oil as needed
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Annato, ground (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 4 eggs, fried sunny side up
  • 4 slices Oaxaca cheese
  • 1 cup Iceberg lettuce, shredded

Lime Aioli (makes 1/2 cup):

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 lime, zested
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

Roasted Poblano Chiles:

  • 2 Poblano chilies
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Confit Tomato Jam:

  • 1/2 cup red grape tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 Fresno chilies, seeds and stem removed, minced
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • Salt and pepper

Torta Buns (makes 8-10):

  • 4-1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup extra
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 ounce active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 -1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

COOKING:

Beef Chorizo and Egg Cheeseburger:
  1. Prepare your grill for direct heat and preheat to medium high or about 400°F.
  2. Slightly break up the beef and sprinkle on top all of the ingredients as evenly as possible. Mix together lightly until combined. Do not over mix.
  3. Divide the beef into 4 separate pieces. Form into round patties, about 1 inch thick, using your hands or a 1/2 pound burger patty press. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and grill immediately.
  4. Clean your grill grates with a grill brush. Lightly oil the outside of your burgers with canola oil. Grill the burgers until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip patties and cook the second side about 4-5 minutes or until the temperature reaches 160°F as measured by a meat thermometer.
  5. To build, warm and toast torta buns and add lime aioli (recipe below) to each side. Starting with the bottom bun, layer the lettuce, confit tomato jam (recipe below),beef chorizo burger patty, roasted poblano chile (recipe below), Oaxaca cheese, sunny-side-up egg and the top bun and repeat for all 4 burgers.
Lime Aioli:
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate until use in burger build (see above)
Roasted Poblano Chiles:
  1. Prepare your grill for direct heat and preheat to medium high or about 400°F.
  2. Lightly toss the chilies with the oil and salt. Grill the outsides on the grill until blackened completely.
  3. Remove the chilies and place in a paper bag or mixing bowl and cover with a towel. Let the chilies steam for 8-10 minutes.
  4. Once the chilies are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skins, stem and inner seeds. Split the poblanos so you have 4 roasted poblano pieces. Use in burger build (see above).
Confit Tomato Jam:
  1. Crush the tomatoes into a small pot to release the juices.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cook until reduced by ½ and thickened. Cool overnight and use in burger build (see above).
Torta Buns:
  1. Activate yeast by sprinkling it into 1/4 cup of warm water. Whisk together and let sit 10 minutes until foamy.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar and mix together.
  3. Pour in the dissolved yeast and remaining warm water. Mix until just combined. Cover and let sit in a warm area for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until dough has doubled in size.
  4. Knock down the dough and knead on a floured surface until the dough is very smooth, about 10-12 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into 8 or 10 equal pieces, depending on how large you like your bun.
  6. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and dust them with flour. Roll the dough into a round shape about 1 inch thick and lightly score the tops with a knife.
  7. Place the rolls on lined baking sheets. Cover and place them in a warm area until almost doubled in size.
  8. Bake at 355°F until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
  9. Cool to room temperature before slicing and use in burger build (see above).

BLUE CHEESE, BACON JAM BURGER

Try this burger recipe from Chef Brooke Williamson featuring Ground Ribeye and Ground Chuck, blue cheese and a bacon jam

INGREDIENTS:

Blue Cheese, Bacon Jam Burger:
  • 3/4 pounds beef Ground Ribeye plus 3/4 pounds Ground Chuck (or other available 70/30 Ground Beef)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 onion Kaiser rolls
  • Iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Blue Cheese Aioli:
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 lemon
  • alt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
Tomato Bacon Jam:
  • 4 medium or large Roma tomatoes
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Olive oil as needed
  • Sherry vinegar to taste
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 slices bacon, crisped and small diced

COOKING:

Blue Cheese, Bacon Jam Burger:
  1. Mix together the Ground Ribeye and Ground Chuck in a bowl (or other 70/30 Ground Beef). Use gentle hands to break up the beef and combine. Form four 6-ounce patties and place on a clean plate or tray, wrap and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
  2. Peel and slice the yellow onion into thin rounds, no thicker than 1/8”. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Slice the onion rings into the pan and cook until they begin to brown and caramelize. Stir them around to get color on both sides. When they are nicely browned and softened, take them out the pan and reserve until you are ready to plate.
  3. Grate the garlic clove on a microplane or finely mince using a sharp knife. Combine with the softened butter and spread the butter onto the tops and bottoms of the onion Kaiser rolls.
  4. Toast the rolls in a large cast iron pan over medium low heat until golden brown and crisped. Remove from the pan and reserve until you are ready to plate.
  5. Remove the burger patties from the fridge and season both sides with salt and pepper. In the same cast-iron pan, cook the patties over medium heat until they register 160°F when tested with a meat thermometer from the side of the burger.
  6. To assemble the burgers, thinly spread blue cheese aioli (see recipe below) over the top and bottom of the toasted onion Kaiser roll. Place a burger patty on the bottom of the roll, top with tomato bacon jam (see recipe below), griddled onions, and shredded lettuce. Finish by capping the burger with the top of the onion Kaiser roll and enjoy!
Blue Cheese Aioli:
  1. Place the egg yolk and Dijon mustard in the bottom of a medium sized bowl with a folded towel placed underneath it. Beginning drop by drop, whisk in the canola oil. You will want to go very slowly at first to create a stable emulsion. As you continue along, you can start adding in more oil at a time, in a steady stream until you have a thickened aioli base. Patience with this will pay off, err on the side of slower if you are new to making aioli.=
  2. Season the aioli with juice from half a lemon, salt & and pepper. Fold in the blue cheese crumbles so that they are evenly distributed and taste again, correcting for seasoning if necessary.
Tomato Bacon Jam:
  1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Remove the stem end of the tomatoes and slice into quarters. Peel the shallot and slice into thin rings, approximately 1/8” thick. Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
  2. In a large bowl, place the tomato wedges, shallot rings and chopped garlic. Sprinkle with brown sugar and drizzle olive oil over and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and toss once again to distribute all of the seasonings. Lay out the tomatoes, shallots, and garlic onto a parchment paper lined sheet tray. Take a few minutes to carefully arrange the tomatoes cut side up. This will help evaporate moisture and concentrate flavor.
  3. Roast low and slow until the tomatoes have lost a good amount of their moisture and the shallots and garlic begin to caramelize, approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours. Begin checking after 45 minutes of cooking, if you see too much color developing on the shallots or garlic, simply scoop them out with a spoon and reserve them until the tomatoes are cooked and ready. The tomatoes should have deepened in color, but still have some moisture – something in between fresh and a sun-dried tomato. Remove the roasted tomato, shallot and garlic and scrape all of it into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. The mixture should still have texture – you don’t want a totally smooth puree.
  4. Season with sherry vinegar and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Right before you are ready to use it, fold in the crispy diced bacon.

 

“Recipe/photo/information courtesy of Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com“