NEW RECIPE: Overload Burger

© Constantine William Spyrou

The name of the burger might seem kind of insane, but that's because this burger is destined to be an amazing, gourmet burger that anyone would love to have as their signature burger. That was goal in the Masterchef overtime service challenge, in which teams of 2 came up with their own burgers to be tested. I decided to do this challenge because I wanted to put myself into a burger (and the Greek Lucy burger has already been done). This burger combines some of my favorite elements out there: Delicious, crisp, pancetta, Gruyere cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and brioche. With a special grind on the beef, this will be a delicious burger for you and your family to behold! 

Recipe will make 4 burgers.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound beef boneless shortrib
1/2 pound beef chuck roast
4 slices of gruyere cheese
8 oz pancetta, sliced into 4 rounds
1 cup fresh arugula leaves
4 brioche buns
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups olive oil
1 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon marjoram
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling: 

1. Grind the beef and shortrib together to get an even mixture of both. Season with the garlic, oregano, basil, marjoram, and some salt and pepper. Mix the seasoning into the beef well, and form 4 4-oz patties from the mixture.
2. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F. Place the sundried tomatoes, the olive oil, and some salt and pepper into a roasting pan (it needs to be deep!) Cook slowly for at least 30 minutes.
3. Add the butter to a pan on medium high heat. Cook the burgers for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on the temperature you want the burgers to come out at. Melt the gruyere cheese over each of the patties with a little water into the pan. Set the patties aside to rest.
4. In the same pan that you cooked the burgers in, cook the pancetta on each side until it gets crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Toast the brioche buns to a golden brown in the same pan.
5. Remove the confit sundried tomatoes from their olive oil bath, and quickly cook for about 30 seconds on each side to crisp up.
6. Assemble the burgers in the following order: Bottom bun, cheese-covered patty, pancetta, sundried tomato confit, arugula, top bun. Enjoy!

With the sun-dried tomato confit serving almost as an upscale version of ketchup, everything in this burger is taken to the next level, from grinding your meat at home to using great cheese and wild arugula to just elevate the burger's flavors and bring out the beefy flavor. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think, and what you would change! If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)