Blue Cheeseburgers (with Mushrooms)
Juicy burgers stuffed with melted blue cheese, cooked in a skillet and served with a delectable mushroom and caramelized onion mixture on a warm bun! These are the ultimate blue cheeseburgers. Super tasty and easy to plan, as most components can be made ahead.
Servings 4 medium burgers
Ingredients
For the hamburger patties:
- 7 oz 200g ground pork
- 14 oz 400g ground beef, with no more than 15% fat
- 4 garlic cloves
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 oz 115g blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 oz 60g mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 4 burger slider buns
Mushrooms and onions:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup sliced onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Roast garlic cloves wrapped in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, until tender, about 30 minutes. You will have soft, caramelized garlic 'meat'.
- Lower the heat and have it ready to heat the buns when you cook the burgers.
For the hamburger patties:
- Mix ground pork and beef in a large bowl with the mashed soft garlic cloves.
- Add salt (the amount depends on how salty the blue cheese is) and black pepper to taste.
- Mix very well with your hands for a few minutes; this part is important so the proteins in the meats break down and bind the whole thing together. You can also knead it with a stand mixer, something I recommend if you’re making burgers for a crowd.
- Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts. Take each part, divide it in two, and flatten each one into a disk.
- Add some blue cheese and a smaller amount of mozzarella. Don't mound it much, and don't reach the edges.
- Top with the remaining flat patty and carefully cover the cheese, making sure the sides are sealed. Flatten it without letting the cheese spill.
- Repeat with the remaining ground meat mixture and cheese.
- Place the buns in the warm oven if you want to so they're crisp when the burgers are ready.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the patties to the skillet, and cook them for about 5-8 minutes on each side until golden brown. You might need to check inside to see if they're fully cooked. Don't cut them completely, so you don't lose the juices. Or use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature; it should be about 160°F for well-done burgers.
- Cut the hamburger buns in half and transfer each patty to a bottom bun (spread with mayo or another condiment of choice), top with some of the mushroom-onion mixture, and close with the top bun.
- Serve immediately.
Mushrooms and onion:
- You should have this mixture ready before you start to cook the burgers.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the sliced mushroom and onion slices until browned. They should be soft but not mushy.
- Salt and pepper towards the end.
- If making ahead, keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Meat: use beef and pork for a better flavored and juicier burger.
Sauces for the meat mixture: for added flavor, you can add a teaspoon or two of steak sauce (like A1 or Worcestershire sauce) to the meat. You can use hot sauce if you like buffalo blue cheese burgers.
Melting cheese: you can substitute the mozzarella for another cheese that melts well.
Garlic powder or flakes: use them if you don't have fresh cloves.
Buns: you can warm them in the oven while cooking the meat. I think crisp, warm bread adds a lot to the final burger.
Toppings: blue cheese goes incredibly well with mushrooms and caramelized onions. But you can use the more traditional tomato slices.
Sliders: this recipe will yield about 12 small burgers.