HELLO!

I'm Jonathan Stiers (pronounced Styers). Join me as I share my adventures in food, design, entertaining and travel. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration!

Burger Love - Happy Memorial Day!

Burger Love - Happy Memorial Day!

A hunk-a-hunk of burger love - is what this is my friends. While remembering those who have fought so hard for our country (thank you!), this weekend, it's the first weekend to celebrate our freedom by joining together with family, friends and food. The beginning of summer is here and If cheeseburgers and/or hot dogs are on the menu, you can pretty much guarantee I'll be there. Neighborhood cookout, baseball game, church potluck, food truck on the corner, you get the idea...

That brings me to the guy above. He's an all-America slice of beef, with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and a special sauce. What?! That's right. This is not a crazy 1,000 Island, tangy McDonald's special sauce - NO - it's a recipe I found via Smitten Kitchen that's a knock-off of NYC's Shake Shack burger. UH-Mazing. It's super simple and a definite crowd-pleaser! Top it off with YOUR favorite toppings, but don't do like I did and leave off the bacon, bread and butter pickles, avocado...

Ingredients:

BURGERS

  • 1lb fresh ground beef
  • Hamburger buns
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Cheddar Cheese or Pepper Jack or...Oh Blue Cheese!
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

SPECIAL SAUCE

  • 1/4 cup real mayo
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons juice from a pickle jar (I used my bread & butter pickle juice!)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

  1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stirring until blended.
  2. Make four to five burgers by hand, shaping them in to a 2 1/2: tall, rounded puck. Use a burger press to flatten. I used this one from Sur La Table. If you don't have a press, shape them by hand but make sure your hands are cold. I usually run my hands under cold water for a minute or so. Place immediately in the refrigerator. DON'T FORGET TO PUT A DIMPLE IN THE CENTER OF YOUR BURGER! 
  3. Add butter to your pan and lightly brown inside of buns, set aside.
  4. Add burgers to pan and cook to your desired temperature. NOTE: When your burgers are almost done, add two slices of your favorite cheese and cover pan with lid. The will make the cheese melt, getting it all nice and gooey! 
  5. Apply special sauce to bottom of each bun.
  6. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy with your favorite beverage.

Until the 4th of July, Mr. All Beef Patty!

Photography by Jonathan Stiers Β©2015 | Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

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