A few months ago, I was given an opportunity to write an article on Hamburger
cooking tips for the upcoming summer grilling season.
As part of my burger-related research, I reached out to a few chefs or colleagues to
get their opinions on their most important tips for burgers.
One of my friends who was a chef instructor at culinary school recommended
trying out a blend of two parts ground beef mixed with one part diced mushrooms,
where the beef has roughly 20% fat content.
While I’ve cooked mushrooms on the grill before, I’d never incorporated diced
mushrooms into my beef patties…after throwing some of these patties on the grill,
I was really happy with the final flavor and juiciness!
The added bacon, caramelized onions, and melted Swiss cheese are optional.
While I love that classic bacon + mushroom + Swiss combination, you can make
these however you like!
The following recipe makes four enormous burgers.
Blended Beef and Mushroom Burgers
A few months ago, I was given an opportunity to write an article on Hamburgercooking tips for the upcoming summer grilling season.As part of my burger-related research, I reached out to a few chefs or colleagues toget their opinions on their most important tips for burgers.One of my friends who was a chef instructor at culinary school recommendedtrying out a blend of two parts ground beef mixed with one part diced mushrooms,where the beef has roughly 20% fat content.While I’ve cooked mushrooms on the grill before, I’d never incorporated dicedmushrooms into my beef patties…after throwing some of these patties on the grill,I was really happy with the final flavor and juiciness!The added bacon, caramelized onions, and melted Swiss cheese are optional.While I love that classic bacon + mushroom + Swiss combination, you can makethese however you like!The following recipe makes four enormous burgers.
Ingredients
- 2 white onions (cut into thin 1/8-inch slices)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 8 slices bacon (thick-cut)
- 8 oz 1/2 pound Bella mushrooms, cut small dice
- 24 oz 1.5 lbs ground beef, with 20% fat content
- Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 large sesame seed burger buns
- 3 Tbsp salted butter (softened)
- 2 Tbsp prepared mayonnaise
- 4 romaine lettuce leaves (cut to same size as bun)
- 4 slices Tomato
- 8 bread & butter pickle slices
- Ketchup (for serving)
Instructions
- Cook the sliced white onions in a medium-sized sauté pan with the two
- Tablespoons of salted butter over medium-high heat for roughly ten minutes,
- stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula as the onions cook.
- *If the onions begin to take on too much color, turn down the heat and add a splash
- of water to the pan.
- When the onions are translucent and softened, reduce the heat to medium, and
- continue to cook while stirring for an additional ten minutes, or until the onions are
- lightly golden-brown in color.
- Remove the onions from the pan, and set the lightly-caramelized onions aside for
- when you are ready to assemble your burgers.
- Cook the bacon in a sauté pan until crispy, and set the bacon aside on paper towels
- to drain.
- Remove the woody stems from the mushrooms, and discard the stems.
- Cut the caps of the mushrooms into small pieces.
- Mix the ground beef with the diced mushrooms, and gently shape the mixture into
- four loosely-packed patties.
- Preheat the grill to 500˚F.
- When the grill is hot, season the patties on both sides with Kosher salt and freshly-
- ground black pepper.
- Butter the burger buns with the salted butter.
- Add the patties to the grill, and cover the grill with the lid while you cook the
- patties on the first side for roughly four to five minutes.
- Flip the patties, and add two slices of Swiss cheese to the top of each patty.
- Add the buttered burger buns to the outsides of the grill surface where the grill is
- cooler, and cover the grill again.
- Wait roughly 60 seconds, or until the cheese is melted, and remove the buns and
- patties from the grill.
- *If you want to cook your burgers longer, go for it.
- After you have removed the burgers from the grill, give them roughly two minutes
- to rest.
- Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the grilled buns.
- Add the mushroom and Swiss burgers, along with some caramelized onions and
- crispy bacon from earlier.
- Add the lettuce leaves, sliced tomato, and a few bread & butter pickle slices.
- Add ketchup, if desired, along with the top bun, and serve.
Notes
You can make these burgers inside, over the stove, using a sauté pan, if that’s easier for you or if you don’t have access to a grill. I’ve even seen burgers cooked in the oven!
These burgers taste best made to order, and should be and eaten quickly, over the
sink.
These burgers taste best made to order, and should be and eaten quickly, over the
sink.