I’m a sucker for a good specialty burger, especially in the summer. What is a better way to kick off a weekend then a good burger, a cold glass of wine, and patio chilling? This one specifically, the hubby requests again and again. The weekend is almost upon us so I thought I would share the recipe! The below recipe makes enough for 4 quarter pound burgers.

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (can use extra lean or bison but take more care with the burgers as less fat means easier to crumble)
• 4 pack of brioche buns (TRUST me, you need the brioche)
• 1 pack of thick cut bacon, cooked and set aside
• 1 package of aged peppered cheddar cheese slices (feel free to use non peppered but I strongly urge you, go to the deli and get the actual aged cheddar cheese slices not processed cheese)
• 1 cup of finely shredded romaine (or iceberg) lettuce
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 cup of quality mayonnaise
• 2.5 teaspoons of horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Seasoning salt
• Finely ground pepper

First things first, let’s whip up our horseradish sauce. I know, I know the mayonnaise isn’t from scratch but let’s be real here. Even if I whipped it up from scratch, how many of you would just use the store bought kind as a starting point anyways. No shame! Just buy a quality one and I don’t recommend an olive oil or avocado oil based one, it will affect the flavor. So take your mayonnaise in a bowl and add in the horseradish, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp of seasoning salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Mix mix mix it well. Taste, if you want to add a touch more horseradish or salt at this point go ahead, just remember the flavors will grow stronger as they sit. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge while you get everything else ready.

Split the ground beef into four even chunks and roll into balls. These can be done in a pan as well as the grill, if you don’t have a grill or don’t want to use it (I see you snow in May). If using a pan to cook, skip the below steps. If using a grill, then take parchment paper and cut it into 4 patty sized squares. Take each ball and slowly using your hands form it to the flatest patty you can. As you flatten it, use your hands to remold the edges circular and then flatten again. Once you have a floppy flat patty, place on parchment paper and make an indent in the middle gently.

Next let’s cook up the mushrooms. Dice in quarters (or feel free to use pre-sliced). Heat a pan over medium high heat with 2 tsp of olive oil. I like to use cast iron for the mushrooms but any frying pan will do. If you are grilling your burgers, feel free to use the pan you used to cook your bacon with some of the bacon grease in place of the olive oil, otherwise save it to cook the burgers. Add in your liquid smoke, onion and garlic powder, and sprinkle on some seasoning salt and pepper to taste (go lighter here you can always add not subtract). Sautee your mushrooms until soft and starting to brown. Remove from heat and cover with tinfoil to keep warm until serving.

Get your grill preheating for the burgers. Load these on a grill heated to about 425 that has been greased or sprayed. This is where the parchment paper comes in handy. Take the parchment paper, flip the burger gently on the grill and peel off. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Cook for about 4 minutes one side or until partially cooked through, then flip. Sprinkle again and cook for about 3 minutes. The time may vary depending on your grill. The biggest thing about these burgers is to make sure that the grill is well greased and to only flip once. They are thin and have no filler so constantly flipping them will lead to them falling apart. Add two pieces of cooked bacon and a slice of cheese to each burger and allow 1 minute with the lid closed to melt then remove from heat.

Now if I’m using a pan, I usually just like to smash burger them. I prefer cast iron but any pan will work. I also will usually use the same pan I used to cook the bacon, with most of the oil drained to get some of that bacon fat flavor into the meat. You take a heated medium high heat pan, and a strong metal spatula. Toss that ball of meat in there and push down as hard as you can with a spatula until it is nice and flat. You want to get it really flat, as it is a smashburger after all. Sprinkle with some seasoning salt and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until you can see the beef cooked about half way or more through. Flip, sprinkle some more seasoning salt and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until you can see the juices are running clear and no blood. Remember depending on your stove top and pan type, these times may vary. Add two pieces of cooked bacon and a slice of cheese to each burger and cover the pan and allow a minute to melt then remove from heat.

Take your brioche buns and toast them either on the grill or in the oven for just 30 seconds or until they have the slightest touch of golden. We don’t want crunchy buns! On both sides of the bun generously layer your horseradish sauce. On the bottom add the mushrooms, top with the burger. To the other side add a handful of shredded lettuce. Dig in and enjoy!