Nothing really happens until the Fourth of July and then it is two months of cookout madness. Liven up your next cookout by turning a regular hamburger into something unique. Stuffed burgers became popular a while ago in some restaurants, but never really hung around for some reason. I can remember making them back East, but I have to admit, it has been a while.
Now if you stop and think about it, stuffing a burger really makes a lot of sense. I mean, anytime you put toppings on a burger, the idea is to get some of the toppings in every bite. The only problem is gravity. Every time you pick the burger up, some of the toppings fall off. Then, every time you tip it toward your mouth, there goes some more toppings. With every bite, still more gets squeezed out onto the plate. In the end, you end up eating more of the toppings with a fork than with your burger.
A stuffed burger means you can fulfill your dream of getting some of the toppings in every bite. Think of how much extra time you can spend with your friends since you won’t need to be washing all that silverware. Now, not only can you get toppings in every bite, but you can season your meat to go with your toppings. If you want to marinade a roast to taste Asian, you make a teriyaki marinade; while if you want another flavor, you simply change the marinade. With hamburger meat, you don’t need to marinade, just season to get the desired results.
I’ll give you one recipe, but don’t be afraid to try different seasonings along with different fillings. If you season with salty ingredients like soy sauce, add a little bread, cut up small and take out the crust in order to keep the burger moist. Also, try using a variety of cheeses.
One more suggestion, if you are going to put your toppings on top of the burger, put them on the burger and then melt the cheese over them. This will help some with that gravity problem. Make some toppings to spice up your next cookout and enjoy.
Stuffed Burgers
2 lbs. fresh ground beef
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, fine chopped
1 T butter
5 slices Swiss cheese, cut into small pieces
2 T thyme
1/8 C grated parmesan
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t ground black pepper
1 t salt
Sauté the onions in the butter until golden and add the mushrooms, garlic and half the thyme. Sauté until the liquid is gone and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let this cool and add the Swiss and parmesan cheese.
In a bowl, combine the burger with the Worcestershire sauce, the rest of the thyme, the salt and pepper and form into eight balls. Use a spoon to create a hole in one side that goes about two-thirds of the way into the ball. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom/cheese mixture into the opening, close the hole and gently press the ball into a patty.
You can line a mayonnaise cover with plastic wrap and use that to help form the patties if you want.
Grill over medium to medium-high heat flipping once until the burger is at the desired doneness.
