5 Napkin Signature Burger

This burger was inspired by a post by thefoodinmybeard on tablespoon.com and is a copycat recipe for a burger from this 5 Napkin restaurant.

It's homemade virtually head to toe. I made the buns, ground the meat, made the rosemary aioli and caramelized the onions. The gruyere is store bought, but as much as I'd like to be, I'm not in the cheese making game.

Turns out that this is a pretty tasty burger. It was HUGE. Very satisfying. I wanted to make it as soon as I saw the post and I wasn't let down.

It takes some work, but goes by quick if you parce it out through the day (as I preach all the time).

You will not be disappointed.

5 Napkin Signature Burger

(from here)

Burgers:

18 oz chuck, cubed

8 oz short ribs, cubed

3 soft burger buns

6 oz gruyere cheese

1 large onion

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole star anise (optional, but delicious)

Rosemary Aioli:

1 large egg yolk

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

splash lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grape seed oil (or canola or whatever "not olive" oil you want)

Be bold and serve it with some tots. 

==

I started with my burgers.

I had a chuck roast in the freezer and I had already broken down my short ribs from the other night when I made Korean Kalbi beef. Which was super-delicious, but I digress.

Cube your chuck finely and be sure to trim as much gristle as possible.

Give it a little salt and toss to combine. This will help the meat bind together into a nice patty when you form them.

I tossed in my short ribs (the darker meat) and started the grinding.

Make sure your meat is like 50% frozen, at least, or it'll smear all over the food processor.

Do this in small batches. It took me 3.

Pulse 15-25 times.

I did mine a little finer than I wanted, oops.

Still great.

Yummy beef.

Form your patties. I decided on 6 oz patties so I could make some minis for my daughter.

Two minis for her.

I ate one.

Oh, the beef.

Stash in the fridge until dinner.

==

You can do your onions next.

Get the oil and butter into a pan over medium heat and add the onions.

I took a page out of Heston Blumenthal's book and added a whole star anise. It does wonders for onions and beef.

While the onions are going you can make the aioli.

Strip the leaves from the rosemary sprigs. Peel 2 cloves of garlic.

Chop both roughly.

This would probably work in the food processor but I used the stick blender. I really want a mini-food processor for these applications, but to be fair, my wife indulges me enough with kitchen gadgets. I can make due.

Add the tablespoon of dijon mustard and the garlic to a blender or whatever.

Add the chopped rosemary.

Toss in the egg yolk and splash of lemon juice.

Get this blending.

Blending.

Add the oil a little at a time while running the motor.

It will thicken up very well (and quickly).

Toss this in the fridge until service.

Your onions should be nearly done.

Remove the star anise and discard. Also hold the onions until service.

I just toss them in the fridge. You can nuke them quick and they'll be fine for the burgers.

==

When you're ready to eat, season your beef liberally with salt and pepper and toss into a ripping hot cast iron skillet over the very highest heat you have.

Unplug your smoke alarm and turn on your fan and let them hit the heat.

Cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on your taste) and flip.

Immediately get the cheese on them.

I was in a rush and missed the gooey cheese shot, but cover the pan and splash a little water inside and that will steam the cheese very well.

Toast your buns and spread the aioli on both sides.

Serve with the caramelized onions on top.

==

Let me say - this burger doesn't even need bacon.

I know.

Really, it was a very well balanced burger. The aioli wasn't too overpowering and the smokiness of the cheese paired with the sweetness of the onions, which complimented the beefy flavor of the burger nicely. The bun was supple and sweet and moist and ridiculously good (I implore you to try to make these buns).

I wish there was a 5 Napkin in SoCal so that I could compare, but either way, it was an outstanding burger and I thank thefoodinmybeard for the recipe.

Enjoy!