If you read the smoked cheese post, you know I hinted at using the smoked swiss in a mushroom burger. If you didn’t read the smoked cheese post, you should check those pics out when you get a chance. I still have lots of smoked cheese I need to eat, and even more I need to give away. There’s still mozz and pepper jack to come. So check back for that, check the pics below, and check after the pics if you want a crude recipe.
Two shades of Cremini mushrooms, in the form of white buttons and baby bellas. Sliced thicc AF boi. Tossed in a dry skillet to squeak out that moisture. Once the mushrooms dried out and started to stick, I added a little bit of bacon fat, tossing them occasionally, but mostly letting it develop a bit of fond. At the very end, when the burger patties were just about done, I deglazed with a shot of white wine and a splash of whatsthishere sauce.
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Two halves of a bun. Toasted on the griddle with a bit of bacon fat. Sauced with some sweet & spicy bbq.
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Two beef patties, about 1/5th Lb (3oz) each, smashed thin AF between a piece of parchment. Seasoned on one side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder just before it hits the hot griddle. Cook until it goes all lacy. The thin patty with high fat content turns into a lattice of beef basting in its own juices. Let it go long enough to develop a crust. It’ll cook almost entirely on one side. Flip and top with slices of smoked swiss cheese. Kill the heat and let the cheese melt.
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To serve, layer some of sautéed mushrooms on you bbq sauced bun. Top with juicy, melty burger patties. Top those with pickled onion (you have those in the fridge, right?) and your sauced top bun. The umami bomb of beef, smoked cheese, and mushroom is balanced by the spicy sweetness of the bbq sauce; and the fatty richness is cut by pickled onion. I had mine alongside some spicy sauerkraut that’s been making my living room smell like fart for the last couple weeks.
There’s more than just cheese to come, too. I’ve had some trout filets in the smoker all day long. I’m thinking some of it will go to a lemony, dill-laden cream cheese dip, but I need another idea. Maybe just roasted with some veggies. I’ll try to take pics.