Smoked Cheddar-Stuffed Burger and Onion Rings

Smoked Cheddar-Stuffed Burger and Onion Rings

Directions for: Smoked Cheddar-Stuffed Burger and Onion Rings

Ingredients

Marinated Onions

3 cups buttermilk

2 Tbsp hot sauce

2 large onions, sliced into rings of desired thickness

pinch salt

Patties

1 Tbsp garlic powder

cup beef spice rub

3 eggs

1 lb(s) medium ground beef

1 lb(s) medium ground chuck

16 oz yellow Cheddar, grated

Onion Rings

1 egg white

2 pinches salt

1 cup flour

1 cup club soda

cup butter, melted

pinch paprika

canola oil, for frying

Assembly

24 strips bacon

8 Challah buns

1 tomato, sliced

6 leaves lettuce

8 sweet pickles, sliced

barbeque sauce

garlic mayonnaise

Directions

Marinated Onions

1. in a re-sealable container, mix together buttermilk, hot sauce and salt.

2. Submerge onions in buttermilk mixture, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 to 12 hours.

Patties

1. Preheat smoker to 250F (121C).

2. in a small bowl, combine garlic powder and spice rub; set aside.

3. in a medium bowl, whisk together three eggs.

4. in a large bowl, mix together ground beef and ground chuck until evenly distributed; add spice rub and eggs to the meat mixture and stir well, until combined.

5. on a baking sheet, press a small handful of the beef mixture into a cookie cutter to 1/4-inch thickness, allowing the edges to curve upwards to create a bowl shape.

6. Fill the indent with grated Cheddar and top with another 1/4inch of the ground beef mixture.

7. Slide cookie cutter off the burger and repeat with remaining beef and Cheddar to form 8 patties.

8. Smoke patties for 40 minutes, or until cheese starts to melt out of the burger.

Onion Rings

1. in the last 10 minutes of smoking, preheat deep fryer or 4 inches of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot to 350F (177C).

2. to make the tempura batter for the onion rings, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding salt mid-way through.

3. in a medium bowl, combine flour, paprika, club soda, and melted butter. Stir until consistent; gently fold in egg whites.

4. Working in batches, drop onions into tempura batter and turn to coat. Remove onions from batter and drop into the deep fryer or hot oil.

5. Fry for 3 minutes, or until onion rings are brown and crisp. Set onion rings on a paper towel to remove excess oil and season lightly with salt. Repeat with remaining onions.

6. while onions fry, heat a small pan over medium heat to cook bacon. Add strips to the pan to cook to desired doneness.

7. Remove patties from smoker and let sit at room temperature for 3 minutes before serving.

Assembly

1. to serve burgers, slice Challah buns in half. Spread garlic mayonnaise on the bottom half of the bun and top with a smoked burger patty.

2. Drizzle barbecue sauce over the burger, to taste, and top with a slice of tomato, lettuce, a pickle, and the top half of the bun.

3. Serve with a side of onion rings.

See more: Beef, Cheese, Comfort Food, Dinner, Eggs/Dairy, Fry, Main, Pork