Recipe Description
We believe that the true spirit of burgerism is a personal devotion to one´s ideals. The ideal burger has a juicy, flavourful patty that requires no augmentation. The ideal burger has toppings that provide a sensory explosion but complement the meat, rather than mask its flavour. After a year of practice, the men of the Sigma Tau Gamma burger team are proud to present a burger that fulfils this promise, the Save the Gravy burger. James Pike, Los Angeles (with fellow helpers Jayson Carvalho and Ted Markowsky)
This recipe is best with
Recipe Ingredient
- Sigma Saulos´s caramelised pears:
- 2 Asian pears, sliced vertically as thinly as possible (as if slicing `chips´)
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 3-6 tbsp black truffle oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3½ tbsp sugar
- Tau Ted´s sautéed mushrooms:
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 450g white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Gravy:
- 450g bacon
- 2 tbsp flour, more if needed
- Reserved mushroom liquid
- Reserved pear juice
- 2 cups apple juice, more if desired
- The Pinky Patty:
- 1.35kg (20% fat) ground beef
- 340g chorizo
- ½ onion chopped, about ½ cup
- 2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Scant 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
- 2 tsp salt
- STG (Save The Gravy) Burgers:
- 8 burger buns, divided
- Gravy, divided
- Caramelised pears
- Bacon
- Burger patties
- Fried onion rings
- 1 (250g) log goat cheese
- Mushrooms
Instructions
- Caramelised pears: In a large dry nonstick skillet, sauté the pears over high heat for 3 minutes, to give the slices a little colour. Add the truffle oil and salt and simmer the slices until softened, about 10 minutes, carefully stirring so as not to break the slices. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook until the slices are caramelised, two to four minutes. Remove from heat and reserve both the pears and pear juice separately, holding each in a warm place.
- Sautéed mushrooms: In a large sauté pan heated over medium-high heat, melt the butter and stir in the mushrooms. Stir in the garlic, along with half a teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Remove from heat and strain the mushrooms, separately reserving the mushrooms and any leftover liquid and holding in a warm place.
- Gravy: In a large skillet, crisp the bacon strips. Set the strips aside in a warm place, reserving two tablespoons bacon fat.
- In a sauté pan, heat the flour over medium heat. Whisk in the mushroom liquid, then the bacon grease, then the pear juice. Continue mixing to form a lumpy roux (add more flour if needed to form a lumpy roux). Whisk in the apple juice and bring to a simmer, whisking until the mixture has the consistency of ketchup (whisk in additional flour, apple juice or both to form the right consistency). Remove from heat. This makes about two cups gravy; set aside in a warm place.
- Pink Patty: In a large bowl, combine the beef and chorizo along with the chopped onions. Season with the Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, Montreal steak seasoning and salt, kneading until the seasonings and flavourings are evenly dispersed. Divide into 8 burgers, shaping the patties so they are slightly larger than the diameter of the buns (they will shrink while cooking).
- Grill the patties to desired doneness. Hold in a warm place.
- STG Burgers: To assemble each burger, spoon about 2 tablespoons gravy on the bottom of each bun. Top with a layer of caramelised pears, and divide the bacon strips evenly between each. Add a burger patty, then top each patty with an onion ring and a dollop (about 1 ounce) of goat cheese. Spoon over the mushrooms and then more gravy. Cover with the top bun.
