Peanut butter bacon burger recipe
Southern cooking always seems to draw the warmest sentiments and the most heartfelt praise from food blogs and critics. Grits and chicken livers notwithstanding, I agree. The South is replete with soul-healing, soul-stealing comfort foods. It might not make for the healthiest lifestyle choice but great Southern cooking is unapologetic, a little shameless and just downright delicious. Doctor-ordered heart monitoring is just part of the deal.
Still, for all of Southern cooking’s Praise the Lard! homestyle goodness, I’ve always admired the relentlessly resourceful and inventive cooking of the Midwest. They seem willing to try anything. On anything. In anything. Critics tend to casually dismiss the region’s food as the inevitable result of amateur housewives running amok with cans of creamed soup and casserole dishes but I would disagree.* It’s hard to not be impressed by their decades of fearless experimentation. And it’s even harder to argue with the results.
While there are plenty of casseroles and hot dishes for everyone, the Midwest covers a lot of ground physically and culturally. Large populations of immigrants from all over Europe and Scandinavia have all settled in the Midwest and are hard at work adapting their old World recipes to modern American life. This giant culinary nexus of food culture has introduced countless dishes** to the American menu and are responsible for some of our top favorites like potato salad and cherry pie. That’s right up there with fried chicken.
So what about this Peanut butter bacon burger? Not too long ago I ran across a post on Half Baked Harvest about a restaurant in Rocky River, Ohio (near Cleveland) named Bearden’s that in true Midwest style, makes a weird burger smothered in peanut butter. (I told you they would try anything). Having lived in the Cleveland area for quite awhile, I was used to some strange burgers. The Swenson’s Galley Boy for instance, is two patties with cheese and barbecue sauce — and tartar sauce — served on a sugary bun topped with a green olive.
I’d heard about Bearden’s and their Peanutburger; and their Slim Jim fries; and their train; but I’d never actually managed to go there and try one of their burgers for myself before I moved back to Texas. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I decided to make my own Peanutburger. So I cooked up a burger, topped it with gobs of creamy peanut butter and some crispy bacon and took a big bite. It was… actually…really good. It doesn’t taste like you would expect it to. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but it wasn’t that. The sweetness of the peanut butter works surprisingly well with the beef patty and salty bacon and the peanut butter added a really interesting dimension to the burger.
* Well, mostly disagree. The world doesn’t need hot dog noodle casserole.
** Just some that I could easily find, in no particular order: Coney dogs, Chicago-style pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, chislic, Cinncinatti Chili, St. Louis-style pizza, St. Louis-style ribs, Kansas-city style barbecue, Superman ice cream, chippers, paczki, kringle, toasted ravioli, Dutch letters, pork tenderloin sandwiches, loose meat sandwiches, frozen custard, pasties, Polish boys, knoephla, lefse, zwiebach, Juicy Lucys, Boston coolers, beer cheese soup, gooey butter cake, sugar cream pie, cherry pie, potato salad, macaroni salad, lutefisk, peanut butter burgers (of course), runza sandwiches (or bierocks depending where in the Midwest you live or even pirozhki depending on what country you live in) and much more.
Image: ForkingSpoon
Peanut butter bacon burger recipe
It may sound strange, but the peanut butter bacon burger is a deliciously creamy take on the typical boring bacon cheeseburger.
Ingredients
Instructions
Cook the bacon
Place 8 slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Once the internal temperature reaches 400 degrees F, cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the bacon has reached the desired crispiness. Remove from the baking sheet to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess grease.
Assemble the burgers
Toast each half of each bun on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes (spread butter or margarine on the buns first if you prefer). Place a slice of cheddar on the bottom bun, top with a hot burger and immediately top with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 slice of bacon broken into 2 or 3 pieces. Finish the burger with the remaining half of the bun.
Notes
I think I have to agree with Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest though, the cheddar cheese doesn't seem to add anything except extra calories, so I made it an optional ingredient.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the bacon
Place 8 slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Once the internal temperature reaches 400 degrees F, cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the bacon has reached the desired crispiness. Remove from the baking sheet to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess grease.
Assemble the burgers
Toast each half of each bun on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes (spread butter or margarine on the buns first if you prefer). Place a slice of cheddar on the bottom bun, top with a hot burger and immediately top with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 slice of bacon broken into 2 or 3 pieces. Finish the burger with the remaining half of the bun.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING: The USDA cautions against washing your meat before grinding or cooking due to it's ineffectiveness and risks of cross contamination. Additionally, they recommend that all ground beef be cooked to 160 degrees F as measured by a "thermistor or thermocouple food thermometer if possible" (a ThermoWorks Thermapen or Lavatools Javelin for instance).
RELATED LINKS
Handling food safely
Safe cooking temperatures (Chart)
Using a thermometer
The importance of resting
Fresh ground meat and ground turkey can be safely refrigerated for 1-2 days and frozen for up to 4 months with minimal quality loss. To freeze, place the fresh patties on a tray, cover and freeze for 6-8 hours. Wrap patties individually using plastic wrap or freezer paper, removing as much air as possible. Stay organized and give your frozen food extra protection by placing the wrapped patties in a labelled and dated freezer bag. Stacked patties should be separated with wax paper squares (or a suitable substitute).
RELATED LINKS
Preparing food to freeze
Refrigerator and freezer storage times (Chart)
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