Mississippi Comeback Sauce Burger
Beef burger with Mississippi-style comeback sauce, a tangy mayo sauce with a little heat, plus lettuce, tomato, and pickles.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 12min
- Total
- 37min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 970per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Comeback sauce is the reason to make this burger, and the recipe makes roughly 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of it: enough to coat both halves of every bun with a bowl left over for dipping. Mayonnaise is the base, sharpened with chili sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, lemon and Dijon, and a 10-minute rest gives the garlic and onion powders time to soften into it.
The patties get only salt and pepper, because the sauce carries the seasoning. Lettuce goes under the patty to shield the bottom bun, and pickles on top add sour crunch.
Mississippi Comeback Sauce Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 12 min, total 37 min. About 970 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/mississippi-comeback-sauce-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make the comeback sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together ¾ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup chili sauce, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ketchup, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to let flavors meld.
Form ground beef into 4 equal patties, about ¾ inch thick. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C).
Toast buns cut-side down in the same skillet until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble burgers: Spread comeback sauce generously on both bun halves. Layer lettuce on bottom buns, add beef patties, top with tomato slices and pickle slices, then add more comeback sauce and crown with top buns. Serve extra comeback sauce on the side.
Tips
- Use tomato-based chili sauce, the ketchup-like bottle from the condiment aisle, not Thai sweet chili sauce. The sweet version throws the balance off.
- If you have time, chill the sauce for an hour rather than 10 minutes; the dried garlic and onion lose their raw edge.
- These patties are 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Press a shallow dimple into each center so they don't dome as they cook.
- Toast the buns in the beef fat left in the skillet. A crisp cut side keeps all that sauce from soaking through.
Substitutions
- Ground turkey instead of beef: cook it to 165°F (74°C); the sauce makes up for the leaner meat.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free bun and check the Worcestershire label, since some brands contain malt vinegar.
Make ahead & storage
Make the comeback sauce up to 3 days ahead; it tastes more rounded after a night in the fridge. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated; reheat in a skillet to 165°F (74°C).
