May: Month of the Burger... Post 1 - Pizza Burger
posted on
May 1, 2020
The Pizza Burger
- 1 – 2 packages of ¼ lb. burger patties... We recommend our 50/50 sausage & ground beef patties for this burger. Or, mix bulk sausage and bulk ground beef and make your own patties.
- Buns – good, quality buns. Seriously. Don’t skimp on the buns.
- Salt & pepper
- Garlic powder
- Mozzarella cheese (sliced)
- Parmesan cheese (grated)
- Pepperoni (sliced)
- Ripe tomato, sliced (optional)
- Spinach or lettuce (optional)
- Pizza sauce
- Other pizza toppings like fresh mushrooms, sliced banana peppers, sliced pepperoncini, black olives, anchovies (not recommended, but, you know, if you’re into that…). Some toppings, like fresh mushrooms and spinach, may taste better heated up. If that’s your preference, you can heat these toppings with the pepperoni as instructed below.
If you really love Italian meats, kick it up a notch and add a slice of Capicola and / or Salami.
Pre-heat oven to broil and ignite grill.
Start with thaw, cold patties. Patties are easier to work with when they’re cold, but you don’t want them to be frozen in the center.
Since the sausage is already seasoned, there’s no need to add salt, pepper, or any additional seasoning to the patties to start with.
Bring grill to high heat and place patties on grill. The hottest part of the grill is typically in the center and towards the back. Placing the burgers above heat will help sear the meat to prevent it from falling apart.
Move / flip the burgers as little as possible. Also, don’t give into the temptation to press the burgers with a burger flipper. Leave those delicious juices in the burger and not the bottom of your grill! The fat that’s heating up inside the patty is full of flavor and will help the patty it to cook more evenly!
Once the burgers are on the grill, close the lid and let the heat do its work.
Place pepperoni slices and any additional topping you’d like to heat up on a cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes. When the pepperoni has a nice, crisp edge and the other toppings are hot, turn off the oven and remove the cookie sheet.
Next, toast the buns. Coat the soft side of each half of the bun with soft butter then sprinkle on salt, pepper, and very light garlic powder.
Flip burgers at 3 – 4 minutes or when the bottom has a good sear and prominent grill marks. Shortly after the burgers are flipped, place buns soft side down on the grill. Remove buns when the soft side is crispy.
Slice fresh tomatoes to preferred thickness.
After the burgers have been flipped, spread butter on the tops of the burgers. Coat generously so that the patty can absorb the butter. Let burgers continue to cook (lid down!) for 3 – 4 minutes or until both sides have a good sear and prominent grill marks. Because of the pork content of the patty, you want to make sure the burger is thoroughly cooked (160°F).
Put ¼ cup pizza sauce in a microwavable container and heat to a reasonable temperature. It doesn’t need to be piping hot, just hot enough to match the temperature of the burger.
While the patties are finishing, spread marinara sauce on the top and bottom buns. Place spinach leaves or lettuce on the bottom bun, then add sliced tomato.
Flip burgers one more time, coat with butter and give burgers one final seasoning with salt and pepper. Then top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni for final 30-45 seconds. Remove burgers as cheese starts to melt.
Next, place the patty (topped with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni) on the tomato, add extra toppings, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and finish with top bun.
