Getting Smashed!

The Menu is one of those movies that, when I see it while scrolling through the cable guide, I will always click to watch. It is probably not a good movie for kids (rated R), but I highly recommend it for adults. Without giving any spoilers for those who have yet to see it, I will simply say that every time I finish watching it, regardless of the time of day or night, I am always craving a cheeseburger. A gooey, cheesy, oniony, double smash burger with fries. So this past weekend, I decided it was time. My version - Umami Smash Burgers with Spicy Sauce.

First, I made the sauce which consisted of one quarter cup each of ketchup and kewpie mayo, one teaspoon of white vinegar, one teaspoon each of soy sauce and ponzu, one teaspoon each of chili crisp, Sambal, and sriracha for a touch of heat, plus a pinch of salt and pepper.

I also made a dry seasoning for the meat which consisted of equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, steak seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper.

I chopped a small white onion and a small shallot. Once the ingredients were prepped, it was time to start the burgers.

I sautéed the onion and shallot in butter over medium heat until caramelized but not burned, around twenty minutes.

While they were cooking, I sprinkled two pounds of ground beef with half of the dry seasoning. For this recipe, I splurged and bought Kobe beef, however any ground meat would be fine.

Helpful Tip: Many smash burger recipes will tell you to season the burgers on the griddle after they have been smashed. The problem is that only the outside of the burger is seasoned and the inside is bland. I prefer to season the meat before combining and then I season the smashed burgers with the other half of the dry seasoning on the griddle so that the outside and inside are equally seasoned and flavorful.

I smashed each each ball with a burger press, seasoned both sides with the rest of the dry seasoning, topped half of the burgers with the onion/shallot mixture, and topped all of them with gouda cheese. I stacked one patty on top of the onion topped patty, and then onto the buttered/grilled buns which I also slathered with the sauce. No lettuce or tomato, but a few dill pickle chips for crunch and flavor.

What is that saying music teachers use to teach kids how to read the notes on a treble clef? Every Good Burger Deserves Fries. As a music teacher, who am I to argue?

Yup, my craving from The Menu was satisfied. Tenfold!

Speaking of ground meat, last week I made a mouthwatering appetizer - Spicy Sticky Asian Meatballs over Kimchi Pancakes. I used ground pork and combined it with breadcrumbs, two eggs, ground ginger, garlic powder, scallions, ground Szechuan peppercorns, Sambal, and sriracha.

I formed into meatballs around one and a half inches in diameter and baked them at 375 degrees for about twenty minutes. While they baked I made the sticky glaze by cooking hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, soy sauce, ponzu, sesame oil, grated ginger, and sriracha until reduced and syrupy. I coated all of the meatballs while I made the pancakes.

The kimchi pancake batter consisted of chopped kimchi, a few tablespoons of kimchi juice, chopped onion, salt, sugar, all purpose flour, and water. As I have never made these, I followed a trusted published kimchi pancake recipe.

They only took several minutes per side to get golden and crispy.

I assembled the dish by placing three meatballs on each pancake and garnished with sriracha, kewpie mayo, sesame seeds, chives, cilantro, and a lime wedge. This could certainly be modified into an entree sized portion as well.

Absolutely beautiful and delicious. Next time, I may substitute the all purpose flour for potato starch for even crispier pancakes.

More yumminess on the way!