Packers Playoff Burger

If you know me in real life, you'll know I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan. This Sunday they play their first game in the playoffs. I created this burger to celebrate--although you definitely don't have to be a cheesehead to love this artery-clogger. Who couldn't love a hamburger patty topped with a brat patty, red onions, sauerkraut, and a big ol' cheese curd?

To start the burgers, I take a pound of ground beef and shape them into patties. I made them really big--1/3 pounders. Hey, the Packers don't make the playoffs every year!

Give them a good salt-and-peppering on both sides.

These burgers also have a second patty, made from fresh bratwurst meat. My grocery store sells these at the meat counter.

Use a knife to split the brat skins, and then pull all the meat out.

Shape the brat meat into patties roughly the same size as the burgers.

Now, Mr. Kim Chee helped me with these because I was busy frying curds and I didn't get any pictures of the patties being cooked.

He cooked them on the stove in a big frying pan, with a little oil, until the brat patties were cooked all the way through and my burgers were medium to medium rare.

 My special celebration burger is topped with fried cheese curds.

While you prepare your batter, pop your curds in the freezer. You want them to be cold when you fry them or they'll melt and stick to the bottom of your pot.

Get your oil started too, over medium-high heat. You want your curds to be screaming cold and your oil to be screaming hot.

The batter is made with flour, baking powder, and salt. If you like a little spice, a pinch of cayenne right now would be nice.

Whisk the dry ingredients together and then crack in an egg.

Now whisk in about 2/3 of a bottle of light beer or hard cider. You'll want the batter to be on the thicker side so add a little liquid at a time rather than all at once.

Pull your curds out of the freezer and throw them into the batter.

Use your hand to give the curds a good dunking.

Hopefully by this time your oil should be hot. If you're not sure, give it a test--gently drip a bit of the curd batter into the oil. It should float to the top right away. If your curds fry too long, the cheese will melt out of the batter.

If your oil is ready, carefully drop the curds in!

Yummm.

How could this be bad? (Okay, don't answer that.)

Once your curds are fried, you can assemble your burgers. Toast yourself a big bun and get ready to layer deliciousness!

The bottom layer gets piled with sauerkraut. I sauteed it in the same frying pan as the burgers and brats, just to heat it up a little bit.

Set a burger on top of the kraut.

Pile sliced red onions on top of that.

Then comes the brat patty.

And then cheese curds.

When all the curds are stuck together, it's just one curd, right?













And finally, the top bun completes the piece de resistance! Celebrate your favorite team's victory with this oh-so-bad-for-you burger.

Recipe: Packers Playoff Burger

1 lb. ground beef
2 uncooked fresh brats
salt and pepper, to taste

hamburger buns, lightly toasted

store-bought saurkraut

oil, for frying

1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
8 oz. (about 2/3 of a bottle) of beer or hard cider

12 oz. cheese curds, very cold

Thinly sliced red onion


Pat the ground beef into three thin patties. Salt and pepper both sides.

Split the brats in half and remove the meat. Pat the ground brat meat into patties roughly the same size as the beef patties. Cook both the beef and brat patties in a large, lightly oiled pan over medium heat until brat patties are cooked completely through and burgers are medium-rare to medium (2-4 minutes per side.)

Using the same pan, toast hamburger buns.

Using the same pan, gently saute sauerkraut until heated through.

In a large pot, heat oil for frying until very hot.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, egg, and beer or cider together. Add cheese curds and coat thoroughly.

When oil is hot, carefully drop in curds a few at a time. Fry until coating is golden brown; remove and drain on newspaper or paper towels.

To assemble burgers, spoon sauerkraut on the bottom bun. Then layer hamburger patty, thinly sliced red onions, brat patty, cheese curds, and top bun. Enjoy!