This is one of our very favorite hamburger recipes. We have used it to make sliders for super bowl parties and even just thrown them together a quick dinner. It takes a regular hamburger and brings it up to a totally new level. I think it’s the bacon. I absolutely love bacon. I could probably live off of bacon. For a few years at least until I had a heart attack from all of the cholesterol. But this recipe isn’t so bad. It has ½ a pound of bacon and it makes about 7-8 good sized hamburgers. I found this recipe one day at Whole Foods Market and I’ve adapted it to suit our family’s needs. The miso is a key ingredient. Miso paste is aged and fermented rice and soybeans. I know it may sound gross but it’s actually delicious and a staple in much of Japanese cooking. If you’ve ever been out for sushi and had the miso soup – it is made from Miso. I found mine at Whole Foods Market. It is a little pricey but this recipe doesn’t use a lot so you can use the rest of it to make your own Miso soup, miso salad dressing, and lots more. There are tons of ideas on for it online.
You can eat your burger with or without the cheese but we really love it with sharp goat cheese. You could use any green with it but we really love the spinach because once you stack it on the burger, it wilts just slightly and has the most delicious flavor and texture. I would also not skimp on the red onion – caramelized onion is so yummy and adds to the taste. This burger really is a treat for your senses. We had them for dinner last night and you could smell them cooking from the driveway.
Ingredients
2.25 pounds of ground chuck
8oz of cooked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons of miso
8 slices of sharp cheddar cheese (goat, cow, or it’s even optional)
8 hamburger buns
1 red onion, sliced thin
Fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, add your ground chuck, the 2 tablespoons of Miso paste and the bacon.
With your hands, mix the three ingredients together and pat out into patties. Now in my house, I had them almost all patted out until the “patty police” came through and “fixed” them for me. I still love him very much though, he always compliments my food just not always my technique! I must admit, his patties do look better than mine did. Make sure you salt them liberally with kosher salt and I like fresh cracked pepper on mine.
I cooked these in the skillet. Heat a pan to medium high heat. I like just a little sprinkling of vegetable oil in the bottom of my nonstick skillet. After it gets really hot, add your burgers. Now, the length of time you cook them will depend on how thick your patties are and how you like your burger. We’re across the board at my house. Justin likes his medium rare so I cook it about minutes per side. Atticus likes his medium so I do it 5 minutes per side. I like my medium well (just my burger, not my steak!) so I cook mine about 6 minutes per side. For well done, I would recommend 7-8 minutes per side. And no matter how tempted you are, do NOT flip those burgers more than once.
While you are cooking your burgers, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place your sliced red onion in the skillet and sprinkle with some kosher salt (about, ¼ teaspoon).
Let these cook until they are nice and caramelized, it will be about the length of time you will cook your burgers. If they start to scorch, turn the heat down. These should look about like this when you’re finished.
If you are using cheese on your burger, add it within the last minute of cooking. Once your burgers and onions are finished, it’s time to plate. Some folks like to toast their buns, I could go either way. I had some hungry fellas in my house so I opted not to toast this time. Add your patty to the bun, then a spoonful of caramelized onions and top with a handful of baby spinach. Serve with your favorite chips or your preferred side. You don’t need much of anything as these burgers will be the star of the meal.
Julie says:
These were absolutely delicious!! It works with or without bacon for us. The caramelized onion makes this dish so be generous with it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
RaDonna Ridner-Thurman says:
Thank you for the feedback! 🙂