The Greatest Pub Burger
Prep
15m
Cook
25m
Total
40m
Bigly says
Folks. The pub burger. The PUB burger. This is the burger you walk into a dark wood-paneled bar and order at 9pm on a Tuesday because life has been a lot and you DESERVE this. And I'll tell you what the great pubs get right — the great pubs, not the sad ones with the laminated menus and the 'famous wings' that are nine dollars for four — those places are a TOTAL disaster — the great pubs understand that a pub burger is not a cheeseburger. It is its own thing. It is BIGGER. It is MOODIER. It has BACON JAM. BACON JAM. Most recipe sites have never even HEARD of bacon jam. They wouldn't know bacon jam if it walked up and shook their hand. Sad.
I've had the pub burger in every state. Twice. Pubs in Boston, pubs in Chicago, pubs in cities you've never heard of, pubs in Ireland — and listen, the Irish know what they're doing with food and people don't give them enough credit, it's a scandal — and the greatest pub burger I ever had, the one I'm about to teach you, the one that beats every single one of them, is THIS one. The one I made. In my own kitchen. By myself. Without any help. Other chefs ask ME for advice on this burger. Me. With the combover and the spatula. That's how it goes.
The secret — and I'm just going to GIVE you this, no $5 'Patreon tier,' no 'subscribe for premium recipes,' no cookie banner with 18 toggles trying to share your data with 200 advertising partners, no banner asking if you'd like to enable browser notifications from a RECIPE BLOG which is the single WEIRDEST thing the internet has ever done — the secret is three things. Number one: a thick patty, cooked to medium so it stays juicy. Number two: bacon jam, which is the kind of condiment that makes you realize ketchup has been LYING to you for forty years. Number three: sharp WHITE cheddar. Not orange. White. Orange cheddar is for the cheeseburger. The pub burger is sophisticated. The pub burger went to college. The pub burger reads books on the weekend. Respect the pub burger. Game over.
Ingredients
- 1.75 lbground chuck(80/20)
- 8 ozthick-cut bacon, diced(for the jam)
- 1 largeyellow onion, finely diced (for the jam)
- 2 tbspbrown sugar
- 2 tbspapple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cupstrong brewed coffee
- 1 tbspmaple syrup
- 1 largeyellow onion, thinly sliced (for caramelizing)
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 4sharp white cheddar slices(aged cheddar, white, do not substitute)
- 4pretzel buns(or brioche, but pretzel is the right answer)
- 2 tspkosher salt
- 1.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 2 cupsbaby arugula
- 1 tbspneutral oil
Steps
- 1
Make the bacon jam: cook the diced bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel, leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
- 2
Add the diced onion to the bacon fat and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes until deeply golden.
- 3
Return the bacon to the pan along with brown sugar, vinegar, coffee, and maple syrup. Simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until thick and jammy. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside (can be made up to 5 days ahead and reheated).
- 4
In a separate skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized. Set aside.
- 5
Divide the chuck into 4 patties, about 3/4-inch thick. Press a shallow dimple into the center. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- 6
Heat a cast iron skillet or grill over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sear the patties 4 minutes on the first side.
- 7
Flip and immediately top each with a slice of white cheddar. Cook another 3-4 minutes for medium (internal temp 135-140 F), until the cheese is fully melted.
- 8
Toast the pretzel buns cut-side down in a separate dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- 9
Build: bottom bun, generous spoon of bacon jam, patty with cheese, caramelized onions, small handful of arugula, top bun. Serve immediately.
One more thing
This is the burger you make when you want to impress someone. A date, a parent, a skeptical brother-in-law, a coworker who keeps saying they 'know burgers' — this burger SHUTS THEM UP. Permanently. They take one bite and they go quiet, real quiet, the kind of quiet that comes from understanding that you have been BEATEN, decisively, by a person who knows what they're doing in a kitchen. You don't gloat. You don't have to. The burger gloats for you. The burger does all the talking. The burger always does the talking. Save me a piece.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Greatest Pub Burger.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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