CHEESE AND CARAMELIZED ONION STUFFED BURGER
My absolute favorite food in the whole world is burgers. I promise, when I moved from Paraguay to Ecuador, the first thing I looked for was a good burger place. Honestly, I am pretty open to trying new cuisines, foods, flavors and everything, but we all have that one food we have to have once in a while. For me, burgers. I mean, I really really get to happy when I know that is on the menu. The one time I got sick during this crazy pandemic, which was not covid by the way, my husband bought ordered burgers and fries to eat in the bed while watching movies. Isn’t that the best plan ever? Yes, yes it is. That said, this cheese and caramelized onion stuffed burger is just beautiful.
So, I am a fan of the classic cheese burger with crispy bacon you can find anywhere. That said, its amazing how you can add so many components to a burger and change the flavor completely. I know, you dont really need to add as much to burgers to make it good. Really, this stuffed burger is pretty simple. The classic flavros of the bacon cheeseburger with a bit of caramelized onions. Amazing right?
WHAT MAKES THIS STUFFED BURGER SPECIAL
Besides being a burger ( which is already special) this recipe has a couple of greta components to it. First, the filling. The filling in this burger is cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. The idea I had when making this recipe is that as soon as you cut it in half or take a bite of it, you get an explosion of flavor. Most of the time I season the meat with some salt and pepper, nothing else. I believe adding only that to the burger meat makes the actual flavor of the meat shine through. That is what we are looking for to combine with the rest of the ingredients in this beauty.
The filling is a combination of cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. The cheese inside the burger should melt almost completely. On the other hand, you will add some extra cheddar cheese on top and even extra caramelized onions if you want. I added cheese, bacon and the burger sauce.
This burger sauce, theoretically is the classic shake shack burger sauce. That is one of the best burgers ever too (fast food version of course). Anytime I go to the states, I try and have it at least once. I found out that is a really easy sauce to make at home and it gives burgers and extra touch that is so worth it.
So, as you can see, its not as elaborate a recipe but the flavors are on point.
TIPS FOR PERFECT BURGERS
The meat: In this particular case, I got some premade burgers at my local super market. They are already seasoned and ready to go, but still have the homemade feeling. I recommend you do that because it takes some of the pressure of finding the perfect meat and fat content. Now, if you are going to find a premade burger make sure you look for the ones that look the most homemade. Processed burgers don’t work as well and it doesn’t taste as good either. If you want to make them from scratch, I’ll link a couple of recipes you might like.
The filling: The filling is a combination of cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. I recommend cutting the slice of cheese into smaller pieces so it’s easier to close the burger around it. The caramelized onions you can add with what you want, I used a spoon.
Making the burger: The first step is to make a ball of the meat. I recommend weighing the meat to around 170 grams. Using your fingers make a hole in the middle. That is where you will place the cheese and caramelized onions. Now, carefully, press the ball down shapping it into a burger patty.
Add ons: This is where your creativity soars. My recommendation is to keep it simple. Simple how, you might ask. I placed an extra slice of cheddar cheese on top of the burger while it finished cooking. After that, once out of the heat, added some crispy bacon and some extra caramelized onions. To give it an extra umph and close the circle of flavor add some shake shack inspired burger sauce. The perfect combination of sweet, salty and crunchy all in every bite you take. I promise you will love it.
EQUIPMENT:
Kitchen scale: To weigh the burgers. Making all the burgers the same size will guarantee that they cook at the same time.
Bowls: You’ll need a big bowl for the meat, another one for the sauce and a final bowl for the caramelized onions.
Knife: You’ll need a couple of knives to slice the bread, spread the sauce and others steps in this recipe.
Chopping board: I like shaping the burgers on a chopping board for the space. I just find it comfortable. This is up to you.
FIND A FEW RECIPES YOU’LL NEED OR WANT TO COMBINE WITH THIS BURGER:
CHEESE AND CARAMELIZED ONION STUFFED BURGERS
Ingredients
- 900 grams of homemade burgers (recipe linked in photos above)
- 10 slices of cheddar cheese
- 1 Recipe of caramelized onions (linked above)
- 10 slices of bacon
- 5 burger buns
BURGER SAUCE
- 1/4 Cup mayo
- 1/2 tsp ketchup
- 1 tsp pickle juice
- 1/2 a pickle chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Make caramelized onions following instructions in post.
- Shape burgers filling with cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. Burgers should weigh between 175-180 grams each.
- Turn the grill on high. Cook bacon right there.
- Cook the burgers around 7 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheddar cheese on top for the last two minutes on the grill.
- Serve over a burger bun, add bacon and extra onions on top. Spread some sauce on the top bun and close the burger.
