Today the Big Buchholz Burger consists of 80 percent 80/20 ground Beef and 20 percent ground pork. Patty:
1 1/2 Pounds 80/20 ground beef
1/3 Pound ground pork
2 Cups applewood smoked bacon, small dice or chopped
2 Cups smoked gouda, shredded on a box shredder
2 Cups pickled red onion (red wine vinegar/honey/chipotle pickle)
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced (it’s okay for some larger chunks, those are delicious when they get burnt on the outside)
1 Tablespoon chipotle in adobo, sauce only
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Large egg
1 Cup panko bread crumbs
2 Teaspoons fresh thyme
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt . Tablespoons black pepper, coarse ground Toppings:
2 Cups apricot marmalade (apricot ketchup would work too)
2 Cups fresh baby arugula
2 Heirloom tomatoes, large, sliced into 1/3-inch slabs
1/2 Teaspoon black smoked sea salt
Pinch black pepper, fine ground
Juice from . lemon
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
1. Gently mix together the ground beef and ground pork* a. (*This burger is jam packed, and it’s important not to over work the meat while your folding in all the ingredients. You don’t want the proteins to tighten up on you. That’s why we incorporate an egg and bread crumbs, to add a softness to the patty.) 2. Season the meat with the salt and add the pepper and give it a gentle couple folds 3. Add all of the other patty ingredients except the bread crumbs 4. Once all of the ingredients have been gently folded into the burger meat, adjust the consistency with the bread crumbs; when combined, the patty should hold its shape. It’s not unusual to have bits and pieces hanging out of the edges; this is good, they char up nicely and add more developed flavor to the burger. 5. To finish: get your backyard grill (or hot smoker) hot, I mean HOT! I don’t want these burgers going down on a cold grill… they’ll melt, along with your hearts, as you watch your hard work disappear into the flames. 6. Lay down each burger and close the top of the Grill for about 5 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH IT. Please. 7. Open the top carefully, there will be smoke, and heat; then using a metal spatula, flip each burger (if you headed my advice, and didn’t touch them, or open the top to check, they should flip easily) 8. Allow the burgers to finish cooking with the top open for another 5 minutes; they should be cooked to a solid medium at this point 9. Pull them off and let them rest. 10. While resting, toast your buns (I personally enjoy toasting my buns on the grill, but you can toast them however you prefer) 11. In a bowl, toss your Arugula with a little lemon juice, olive oil, smoked sea salt, and black pepper 12. You should have the rest of your topping ingredients (and wine!) ready to go, so that when the buns come off, you’re plating and eating 13. Place bottom of bun on plate, place patty on top, plop down a tablespoon or so of the apricot marmalade, top with heirloom tomato, then seasoned arugula 14. Smoosh it all together with the top bun, and you’re off to the races friends a. I hope you enjoy creating, eating, sharing this burger/recipe. It truly is one of my favorites, and I’m glad I was able to share it with you today!