Asha's Everything Grill Burgers, Two Ways

Recipe by

Asha Loupy

Serves

Difficulty

Intermediate

Asha's Everything Grill Burgers, Two Ways

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Made with a savory, smoky, umami-packed combination of black pepper, fennel, garlic powder, smoked chillies, and ajwain, our Everything Grill Seasoning makes the perfect burger. We're sharing two ways to use it: first, mixed into ground beef, formed into patties, and flame-grilled for the juiciest backyard barbecue-style burger, and secondly, mixed with a little extra salt and sprinkled over thin smash burgers made in a rippin' hot cast iron skillet. Plus, this seasoning is our secret flavor enhancer for creamy, tangy burger sauce.

When it comes to fat content, for grilling outdoors and bigger 6-ounce patties, we love an 80-20 blend for maximum meatiness and moistness. This blend will work for smash burgers, too, but if you can get your hands on 75-25, which has 5% more fat, it makes for a finger-licking good patty. Plus, it results in some nice beef fat to toast your buns in.

Ingredients

For backyard barbecue-style burgers

1½ pounds (680g) 80-20 ground beef
3 tablespoons Everything Grill Seasoning
¾ teaspoon Surya Salt
4 slices American cheese or the cheese of your choice, optional
4 sesame burger buns
Iceberg lettuce, tomato & white onion
Burger sauce (recipe below) or condiments of your choice

For smash burgers

1½ pounds (680g) ground beef (either 80-20 or 75-25, see headnote)
2 tablespoons Everything Grill Seasoning
¾ teaspoon Surya Salt
8 slices American cheese
4 burger buns
Iceberg lettuce, tomato & white onion
Burger sauce (recipe below) or condiments of your choice

For the burger sauce

¼ cup (60g) store-bought mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons (20g) chopped pickled jalapeños or pickles, plus 1 teaspoon brine from the jar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon Everything Grill Seasoning
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
A couple dashes of your favorite vinegar-based hot sauce
Pinch of MSG, optional
Surya Salt, to taste

Methods

To make the backyard barbecue-style burgers

Combine the ground beef, Everything Grill Seasoning, and salt in a bowl and gently mix to combine, being careful not to overmix. Divide the meat into four portions, then take one portion at a time and form into a patty slightly bigger than the buns you’re going to put them on. Make a slight indentation in the center of each burger so the middle is a little thinner than outside (this will prevent the burger from turning into a UFO-shape when cooking). Cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before ready to grill.
If grilling right away, prepare a charcoal grill to medium-high heat or heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. While the grill is preheating, make the burger sauce (method below).
Place the burgers on the grill and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Flip and cook the burgers until they reach your desired doneness—now is the time to add the cheese, if using, too—2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare and 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes while you toast the buns. (Alternatively, you can cook these indoors on a grill pan over medium-high heat, using the same timings.)
To assemble, place the burgers on each toasted bun bottom, layer with your desired toppings, like iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and onions. Spread a thick layer of burger sauce on the top bun and close each burger. Enjoy immediately.

To make the smash burgers

If you’re making the burger sauce, prepare it 15 minutes before starting to cook the smash burgers. The burgers come together quite quickly.
To form the burgers, divide the meat into eight 3-ounce portions and gently roll each into a ball. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
To make the burger seasoning, mix the Everything Grill Seasoning and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
To cook the burgers, heat a large cast iron skillet or cast iron griddle over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place one of the ground beef balls on one side of the skillet and press down with a burger press, smashing it into a very thin burger patty. Do the same with another ball of ground beef on the other side of the skillet, then sprinkle both patties with a scant teaspoon of the reserved burger seasoning. Cook until deeply browned on the bottom and almost all the way cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the burgers, top each patty with a slice of American cheese and cook until the cheese is just melted and the burger is cooked through, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Stack one burger on top of the other and then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining patties until you have four stacks. Reduce the heat to medium-low and toast the buns, working in stages, if necessary.
To assemble, place one burger stack on each toasted bun bottom, layer with your desired toppings, like iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and onions. Spread a thick layer of burger sauce on the top bun and close each burger. Enjoy immediately.

To make the sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, taste, and season with more salt and/or sugar, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors marry and the onions rehydrate. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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