Burger Dog Madness

With the month of May coming to an end, I want to pay tribute to “Burger Month” in this week’s recipe. I’ve created a recipe that will be perfect to serve while watching the NBA finals on the big screen. This recipe is a wonderful alternative to the traditional hotdog, taking out the actual hot dog and replacing it with a hamburger shaped dog in a “hot dog style bun.” To finish, you can add mouth-watering topping combinations that will surely be a “slam dunk” with your company. I guarantee this will take your guests’ eyes off the big screen to look down at their plates in excitement for this game changing burger dog! For all the parents out there, your kids will love this!

I recently read a great article that featured two-time World Burger Champ, Chef Wade Fortin, and the article shared some great tips on how to create and cook the perfect burger. I highly recommend you take the time to read the article to expand your burger knowledge! I also have the pleasure of working with Chef Wade of the Bull Family, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have a mentor like Chef Wade to help me along this amazing Bull BBQ journey!

To ensure this burger dog is a true crowd-pleaser, we will focus on three simple topics; how to cook the burger dogs, what type of meat to use, and the various options for burger dog toppings.

Type of Heat: To cook the burger dogs, I will use the Bull Bison Grill, a 30-inch stainless steel charcoal grill. The Bison Grill, The Bull Competition Blend Lump Charcoal, and the ground beef caramelizing on the hot grill is the perfect trifecta for creating mouth-watering burger dogs with just the right amount of smoky flavor. There is nothing better than the aroma of a charcoal grill heating up for a glorious day of grilling. The smoke slowly fills the air, floats over the neighbors’ fences, and once that protein hits the hot grill, don’t be alarmed if you have some knocks at your gate door. I always say the formula to making quick friends is quite simple – turn on some music, light up the bbq, and grill some amazing food!

Type of Beef: Most grill masters would agree that the best quality burger starts with an 80/20 fat ratio for the ground beef. The ground beef should always be fresh, and if you can, have it ground that day by your butcher or do it yourself at home. I have a KitchenAid with the food grinder attachment, so I can create some of the best ground beef right in my own kitchen. As the daughter of a butcher, I often rely on the “KIS” rule (keep it simple) when it comes to making my own ground beef. I like to use a quality roast or ribeye, salt, pepper, and fat to create a delicious burger. The meat should speak for itself. I complement the flavors of the meat by adding killer toppings to create a one of a kind burger dog.

Type of Toppings: For this recipe, I will offer three types of burger dogs:

• The Classic Lodian Burger Dog – all the ingredients coming from or around the Lodi area to support the mom and pop shops and local farmers. The Lodian consists of mayo-aioli, mustard, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced raw red onion, vine-ripe tomato, and homemade dill pickles. I will find a local baker who makes delicious hot dog style rolls to use for this creation.
• The Reuben Burger Dog – combination of sweet pickle relish aioli, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and sauerkraut.
• The Stuffed Chili Bean Burger Dog – stuff the burger with cheese before forming into a hot dog shaped burger. For toppings, add a slice of bacon, baked beans, nacho cheese, and diced white onion. (burp!)

Tips from the Chef:

• When it comes time to start the charcoal, use the Bull Black Chimney Starter. Ladies, I am telling you, this is fool proof! You will have your charcoal going in no time!
• When cooking the bacon for the Stuffed Chili Burger Dog, I like to cook it in the oven on a baking rack. This allows for the strips of bacon to cook evenly, offers a large space to cook more strips of bacon if needed, and it elevated the bacon off the baking sheet, so that it doesn’t sit in its own fat as it cooks. This technique is hands free, can be done ahead of time, the oven does all the work. No messy stove tops from the bacon popping its juice all over. Once you try cooking bacon this way, you will never go back to the stovetop.
• For a time-saver, instead of making your own aioli, use mayonnaise and jazz it up by adding ingredients like  relish, lemon zest, or even bacon bits to make a flavorful aioli. Your guests won’t know the difference!
• When it comes time to stuff the hamburger meat with cheese, I like to use a sharp cheddar for a punch of flavor. For best results, cut a block of cheddar into 1 inch slices, and then from there into 1 inch strips of cheese.
• When forming the burger dogs, make sure they are slightly longer than the hot dog bun. They will shrink up while cooking, and it is important that the burger dog is the same length of the bun once cooked.

♥ Chef Amy