When I lived in LA, I used to make these all the time.
I grilled – or at least had my dad or my friend Daniel grill – pretty much every night during the years I was living in Sherman Oaks, but after awhile I realized that the pre-made blue cheese patties that I kept buying from Whole Foods just because they were so delicious could easily be duplicated at home for a fraction of the price.
If you’re a blue cheese lover, try this immediately. Even if you’re on the fence about the stuff, it’s worth a shot; they’re that good.
(This is what Kendrick got up to while I patty-ed: putting together my very best friend The Hammock.)
BLUE MONSTER BURGERS (makes 4-5 burgers)
What you need:
About a pound of meat. (And speaking of meat, don’t go for the super-lean stuff: a lot of the fat is going to drain off during the grilling process, so if you start with, say, 95% lean, you’re going to get a dry burger. I usually buy 85% lean meat for grilling.)
A little garlic powder or some finely minced garlic cloves
About 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Sliced tomato
Sliced avocado
Sliced raw onion
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Mustard
White vinegar (optional)
Buns
What you do:
1. The trick when making patties is not to handle the meat too much. I just combine the meat, blue cheese (reserve a little off to one side) and minced garlic or garlic powder in a bowl, mush it around a bit to combine, and then form patties quickly – no mucking about, trying to get them the perfect size/shape.
2. Now’s the fun part: when your patties are formed, push a little hole into the center and fill with a couple of extra crumbles of blue cheese (not too much; this stuff goes a long way), then cover the hole back up with meat. When you bite into the center later, it’s sort of like a Boston Creme Donut effect, except with meat and cheese, which is even better (and it’s hard to get better than Boston Creme Donuts).
3. Grill the burgers on a very hot grill to your desired temperature.
4. Meanwhile, mix together the mayo, ketchup and mustard (I go heavier on the mayo and ketchup, lighter on the mustard, but the proportions are really up to you), adding another little shake of garlic powder and maybe a splash of white vinegar, if you want it extra-tangy.
5. Top finished burgers with special sauce, tomato, onion, and a couple of slices of avocado.
Best burger ever.
I’m writing this at 8:05 in the morning, and now I want one.
