HAMBURGER

 BRONCO BURGERS

1. 3/4 poundish of cold 80/20 burger (any meat will probably work) rolled into a ball.

2. Get a cold beer, unopened, and press the can through the center of the meat down to the cutting board. The meat will crack a bit from the pressure, simply start forming the meat around the can to try and achieve a uniform thickness and height.

3. With the can still in the meat, wrap 2 strips of bacon around the meat and firmly squeeze the bacon into the burger.

4. Grab a towel to hold the can because your hands will be slick, twist and turn and "rock" the can out of the meat. Don't worry too much here, they are easy to reform once the can is out. Be sure to gently press the meat down at the bottom of the "meat bowl" to insure maximum stuffability!

5. Stuff with your favorite sauteed veggies or other meats (whatever you want to stuff it with basically!). Make sure to sautee vegetables prior to stuffing them or else they won't cook enough or can poke through the side.

6. We did a half fill of veggies then cheese, a bit more veggies with a little bit of Blues Hog BBQ sauce, and then covered again with cheese. Hot sauce could be added here as well if you like the spice.

7. Smoke @ 300 degrees, 45 minutes. I used apple wood, it was subtle and amazing.

 

HAMBURGER BUNS RECIPE

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the baking sheet
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients except for the melted butter by hand, mixer, or bread machine until a soft, smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.
2. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball, then flatten it to a squat round blob about 2 1/2 inches across. (Another easy way to shape buns, besides rolling them into balls and flattening, is to gently deflate the dough and form it into a smooth 8-inch log. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 pieces. Gently tug the edges of each piece underneath the ball of dough to form a squat ball.) Place the buns on a lightly buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter and bake until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the remaining melted butter, which will lend the buns a satiny, buttery crust. Place the buns on a wire rack to cool completely.
BEAUTIFUL BREAD VARIATION
Leite’s Culinaria reader and food blogger Sarah of The Cook’s Life has tweaked this recipe into loaf form. According to her, “We call it bun bread around here.” Well, we call it brilliant around here. [Editor's Note: Sarah makes a few other tweaks to the recipe, substituting white whole-wheat flour for some of the all-purpose. You can read about her changes in her comment below the recipe. We haven't tested this variation yet, but we're literally preheating our ovens now.] Sarah says to follow the recipe through the first rise. Shape the whole batch of dough into 1 loaf and bake it in a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan for about 30 minutes at 350°F, or until it is browned, sounds hollow when tapped, and tests 190°F to 200°F in the middle. You may need to tent the top with foil if it starts to get too brown. And she mentions that if you don’t like sweet bread, you can reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons or even 1 tablespoon with no other changes to the recipe.

LIGHT BRIOCHE HAMBURGER BUNS

Author: The Clever Carrot adapted from Comma Ca, via The New York Times
Serves: 8 buns
INGREDIENTS
1 c. warm water
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2½ tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
sesame seeds (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, 3 tbsp. milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flours, salt and butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients until the butter is the size of crumbs.
Stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg. Run the mixer on medium-low (I used #3 on my Kitchen Aid) until a dough forms, about 8-10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl (it will be sticky and wet). Cover bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled is size, 1- 3 hours* See Note.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a dough scraper (or chef's knife), divide the dough into 8 equal parts. If you have a scale, weigh each piece to guarantee that they're all the same size.
To shape the dough into balls, gently flatten each piece like a pancake. Pull up each side pinching it together in the center. Repeat until the ball is sealed. Flip the ball over (seam side down) and move to an un-floured part of your board (it's easier to roll this way). Place your palm over the top and gently roll into a smooth ball. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let buns rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until puffy and slightly risen.
To make the egg wash, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. When the buns are finished with the 2nd rise, gently brush each one with egg wash. At this point, you could add sesame seeds to the top of your rolls if desired.
Preheat your oven to 400 F. and place a shallow baking pan on the oven floor. Before the dough goes in, add about ½ cup of water to the pan (to create steam). This will help keep the bread nice and moist. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES   *Giving your dough enough time to rise is crucial in bread baking. Rise times will vary, so be patient. Remember to watch your dough and not the clock!

THE FAMOUS HUSK CHEESEBURGER RECIPE

Special Sauce
1¾ cups mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s
1¼ cups yellow mustard
5 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup Bread-and-Butter Pickles, drained and cut into ⅛-inch dice
¼ cup pickled jalapeños, drained and cut into ⅛-inch dice
Grated zest (use a Microplane) and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Husk Hot Sauce (or other hot sauce)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pepper vinegar, preferably Texas Pete brand
Cheeseburgers
One 3-pound fresh boneless chuck roast
12 ounces fresh flank steak
3 ounces bacon, preferably Benton’s
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
10 hamburger buns, preferably potato rolls
1 cup shaved white onion
20 slices American cheese
50 Bread-and-Butter Pickles
For the sauce:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large container and stir together to blend well. Cover, and refrigerate. (Tightly covered, the sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.)
For the cheeseburgers:
1. Grind the chuck, flank steak, and bacon through a meat grinder fitted with the large die into a bowl. Mix gently to combine. Then run half of the mixture through the small die. Mix the two together.
2. Portion the meat mixture into twenty 3-ounce patties, about ½ inch thick (each burger gets 2 patties). If not cooking right away, arrange on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. (The patties can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook; it’s important that the patties are not ice-cold when they hit the hot pan.)
3. Generously butter the tops and bottoms of the buns. Toast on a griddle until nice and golden brown. Reserve.
4. Heat two 12-inch cast-iron skillets until as hot as possible. Divide the patties between the two hot pans. When the patties are nice and charred, about 2 minutes, flip them over and cook for 2 minutes more for medium. Place the onion slices on 10 of the patties. Place a slice of the cheese on all of the patties and allow it to melt, about 30 seconds. Stack the non-onion patties on top of the onion patties. Remove from the heat.
5. Smear both sides of the buns with special sauce. Place 5 pickles on the bottom half of each bun. Add the burger patties and top with the top halves of the buns. Serve at once.
GERMAN SKILLET DINNER

3 tbl butter or margarine
1/2 cabbage , chopped
2/3 c uncooked rice (I use minute rice)
1 med onion, chopped
2 lbs hamburger
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in skillet, layer cabbage, uncooked rice, onion, raw crumbled hamburger, salt and pepper, then tomatoes. Cover with lid and simmer 25-35 minutes until rice, cabbage and burger are done. Do not stir or lift lid until done

COPYCAT WHITE CASTLE BURGERS...FOR THE GUYS

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 tablespoon peanut butter (yes, peanut butter.. trust me)
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, finely chopped
Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls (or the really soft small-sized dinner rolls from the bakery), sliced in half
Cheese slices(you can use Kraft Singles or sliced Velveeta cheese.. we used Velveeta)
Instructions
In a large bowl mix the hamburger, Lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter, and milk. Spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The meat will shrink. Take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges, this will give the meat a great flavor. Bake for 15 more minutes, remove from oven, then spoon the onions from the edges all over the top of the meat and layer with cheese slices.
Bake another 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). Then add the tops of your rolls (the bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) and place back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.
Take it out of the oven. Slice the meat with a pizza cutter and pick up the slider/top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun.

GERMAN SKILLET DINNER~ ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL

3 tbl butter or margarine
1/2 cabbage , chopped
2/3 c uncooked rice (I use minute rice)
1 med onion, chopped
2 lbs hamburger
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in skillet, layer cabbage, uncooked rice, onion, raw crumbled hamburger, salt and pepper, then tomatoes. Cover with lid and simmer 25-35 minutes until rice, cabbage and burger are done. Do not stir or lift lid until done.

BACON-CHEESEBURGER CALZONES

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4 cup dried instant minced onion
1/4 cup chopped hamburger pickle slices
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 Italian plum tomato, thinly sliced, if desired
4 slices (3/4 oz each) American or Cheddar cheese, each cut in half
2 cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 2 minutes. Add ground beef and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain if necessary. Stir in pickles and ranch dressing. Unroll dough and separat each can into 4 rectangles; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each into 7x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Spoon about 1/3 cup ground beef mixture onto one end of each rectangle. Top each with tomato slices and 1 piece of cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with fork to seal (sandwiches will be full). Brush tops with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF WITH NOODLES OR RICE

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp dry mustard
4 Tsp milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Brown the hamburger in large skillet with onion and garlic. Drain out fat and add soup, mustard and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and heat through without boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with egg noodles or rice.

HAMBURGER STEW

Note: Serve with buttered cornbread.
2 pounds ground beef
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
8 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
Cook beef and onions over medium heat; drain. Add tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes, water, rice, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables and rice are tender. Uncover; simmer 20-30 minutes longer or until thickened