Smokey Burger as served at Gastro Grind Burgers in Palm Desert, California, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, season 35.
Recipe courtesy of Gastro Grind Burgers

The Smokey Burger

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 1 hr 50 min
  • Active: 1 hr 10 min
  • Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

Hoity Toity Patty:

Spicy Maple BBQ Sauce:

Crispy Onions:

Directions

Special equipment:
a meat grinder; a patty press; a deep-fry thermometer or deep-fryer; a deli slicer or mandoline
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place the peppers in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss until coated.
  3. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake until the peppers are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Preheat a charbroiler or grill on high and a griddle to medium-low.
  5. Sprinkle the Hoity Toity Patty with salt and black pepper and grill, 3 minutes each side. Meanwhile, oil the griddle and toast the potato bun until golden brown, 3 minutes. Transfer the patty to the hottest part of the griddle and place the cheese on top to melt, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the bell peppers and bacon on the griddle, 2 minutes.
  6. Spread some Spicy Maple BBQ Sauce on both top and bottom of the bun. Place the frisée lettuce on the bun bottom, then place three slices of tomato over the lettuce. Place the patty on the tomato followed by the bacon, roasted peppers and Crispy Onions. Finish with the bun top and enjoy!

Hoity Toity Patty:

Yield: 8 patties
  1. Combine the steak, short rib and sirloin in a bowl. Run through a meat grinder and mix. Portion into 6-ounce balls and press flat in a patty press.

Spicy Maple BBQ Sauce:

Yield: 3 cups
  1. Combine the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepot and whisk together. In a separate bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, onion powder and celery seed. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking constantly to make sure the dry ingredients do not clump up. Mix in the ketchup and set over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a low simmer, then turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the ketchup taste is gone, about 25 minutes. Cool and set aside.

Crispy Onions:

Yield: 2 cups
  1. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F in a medium pot or deep-fryer.
  2. Slice the onion on a deli slicer or mandoline. (They should be thin enough to almost see through them.) Shake the onions loose by hand to ensure that they are properly separated to prevent clumping. Sprinkle the onions with salt and pepper. Add the cornstarch and flour with a bit more salt and pepper. Mix into the onions, making sure to coat and separate all the onion layers (see Cook's Note). Add the onions to the oil, making sure not to crowd the onions and constantly keeping them moving to prevent them from clumping together. Cook until they are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Set on a paper towel-lined tray to drain and cool.

Cook’s Note

For the Hoity Toity Patty: If a patty press is unavailable, the patties can be hand formed or pressed into a straight-edged dish or ring mold lined in plastic. For the Crispy Onions: Have extra cornstarch and flour on hand. Some onions have a higher moisture content than others and may need more of those ingredients to prevent clumpy onions.