Smoky Bourbon BBQ Brisket Burger
Raw ground brisket mixed with chopped smoked brisket, glazed with bourbon BBQ sauce and topped with crispy onion straws and aged cheddar.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 12min
- Total
- 27min
- Serves
- 2
- Calories
- 980per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Raw ground brisket does the binding here, and a smaller share of finely chopped smoked brisket folded through it brings the smoke and a few chewy bits of bark. Smoked brisket is already cooked and won't hold a patty together on its own, so the raw meat stays the larger part; 80/20 ground beef works if your butcher doesn't grind brisket.
The glaze goes on only in the last 2 minutes, because the sugar in BBQ sauce burns over medium-high heat. Brush it on, lay aged cheddar on top, and cover the pan so the cheese melts into the sauce. A pile of crispy onion straws is the only other topping.
Smoky Bourbon BBQ Brisket Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 12 min, total 27 min. About 980 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/smoky-bourbon-bbq-brisket-burger
Serves 2.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Gently mix 9 oz raw ground brisket with 3¼ oz finely chopped smoked brisket, just until the pieces are spread through. Form into 2 equal patties with a slight indentation in the center, then season the outside with ½ tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C).
During the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush patties generously with 3 tbsp bourbon BBQ sauce, then top each patty with aged cheddar cheese slices and cover to melt.
Toast brioche buns until golden.
Spread remaining 1 tbsp bourbon BBQ sauce on bottom buns, place glazed patties with melted cheddar on buns, top with 1½ oz crispy fried onion straws, and crown with top buns. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
Tips
- Turn the heat down to medium just before brushing on the glaze. It should bubble and stick, not blacken.
- Chop the smoked brisket into pieces no bigger than a pea. Larger chunks leave gaps where the patty cracks when you flip it.
- Slide the thermometer in from the side, under the cheese, to check that the center has reached 160°F (71°C).
- Recrisp store-bought onion straws on a sheet pan in a hot oven for 3-4 minutes before piling them on.
Substitutions
- No smoked brisket: use 340 g of 80/20 ground beef with 2 ml smoked paprika mixed in. You lose the bits of bark but keep a smoky note.
- No bourbon BBQ sauce: simmer 15 ml bourbon with 60 ml of your usual BBQ sauce for 3 minutes.
- Alcohol-free: a plain smoky BBQ sauce works; the bourbon is a background note, not the main taste.
- Gluten-free: a gluten-free bun, and check the onion straws, which are often coated in wheat flour.
Make ahead & storage
Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat in a covered skillet to 165°F (74°C) with a little extra sauce. Keep the onion straws sealed at room temperature and add them only when serving, since they go soft against the glaze.
