Gin & Yang

Following one of my favourite Chef’s Richard Blais, I found a series of Burgers that he is currently showcasing on YouTube for Tasted.  One in particular was the Pigskin burger ahead of the Superbowl; It looked amazing!  See the video here.

Sadly there isn’t a detailed recipe for this burger – the video gives us a good idea what it involves but there isn’t an exact method or list of ingredients.  So not only do I get to try out this burger myself but I get to build up my own recipe for it!

It’s not entirely apparent in the video but the pork belly has been roasted before being used in the burger – it looks too crispy to have been fried, boiled or whatever.  I didn’t have any ranch sauce so I swapped that for salad cream to make “Sriracha Cream” instead.  I also had to estimate the amount of sugar required to make the bacon jam and how much cream (or milk in my case), to mix in with the cheese.  I think I got the proportions roughly right, the cheese foam probably needed more milk making it difficult to get out of the siphon.  Many of you won’t have a siphon. Although you really should get one, as they are fantastic and can be used for so many things!  Instead you can melt some cheese, add a little milk and whip it by hand to get something that can at least replace the cheese foam, but it’s a poor substitute.  I’ve made one minor change to the recipe in that I’ve added some apple to the burger patty, it gives it a little extra bite.

This burger won’t win you any dieting competitions, in fact it’s probably going to earn you a coronary heart bypass but this is worth it!

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers):

500g Pork Shoulder

200g Pork Belly

125g Smoked Streaky Bacon

200g Gruyere cheese

100ml Full-fat Milk

100g Sugar

200ml Salad Cream (or Ranch Dressing)

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 Granny Smith Apple

4 Burger Buns

Method:

1.  Preheat your oven to 200C.  Slice the Pork Belly into 4 equal pieces, then score with a knife and rub in some salt.

2.  Once up to heat, place the Pork Belly in the oven for 30mins, then reduce heat to 175C and continue to heat for 1.5hrs.

3.  Mince the Pork Shoulder, either using a meat grinder or by chopping repeatedly with knives.  Skin and finely dice the apple.

4.  Combine the minced pork and diced apple in 4 equally sized patties, using a chefs ring will help.  Season generously with salt.

(Try to time this part so that the burgers will be ready just as the pork belly finishes – about 20mins)

5.  Dice the Bacon and add it to a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and fry until just crispy.

6.  Add sugar to the now crispy bacon, reduce to a medium heat and continue to cook until all the sugar has reduced to a syrup.

7.  Set a grill pan to a high heat, then grill the burger patties until just cooked through.

8.  As the patties come to the end of their cooking, cut the burger buns in half, dip in the juices of the roasted pork belly and then grill until toasted.

9.  Grate the Gruyere cheese and combine with the milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat.  Stir until completely melted then pour into your siphon.

10.  Add the Nitrous Oxide canister, give the siphon a swirl and then let it sit for about 1 minute.

11.  Combine the Salad Cream with the Sriracha in a ramekin and stir.  Then spread over the bottom of the toasted buns.

12.  Spoon the bacon jam over the Sriracha Cream, then place the burger patty on top.

13.  Remove the pork belly slices from the oven and place one on top of each burger patty.  Then cover in cheese foam and top with the burger bun.  Serve immediately with Chips and a side salad.

Tips:

– If you feel the bacon jam is too thick, add a tablespoon of water to the syrup.

– The cheese mix should be liquid like when pouring into the siphon, if it is too thick and stringy it won’t foam properly and you will have problems getting it out of the siphon.  Add milk until the mix is in a thick liquid like state.

–  I recommend a side salad to go with this burger, since there is no veg in the burger itself.  It will help cut through the fat.  A few microgreens or a salad with a bit of lemon in it would be perfect.

– Full fat milk is really a must if you want a cheese foam.  You need a high fat content to get a good foam, if it is too low it will just be a slightly bubbly liquid.

Drinks Matching:

Cocktail: Long Island Iced Tea – The sour mix, fizz and the high alcohol content will cut through this fatty burger perfectly.

Regular Drink: Beer – A burger with a nice malty, slightly fizzy beer just work.

Non-Alcoholic: Coke with a slice of lime – Much like beer & burgers, coke works just as well.  A slice of lime will add a sour bite to prevent the coke and bacon jam becoming too sweet a combination.