Blue cheese burgers are the kind of thing you’d find in a restaurant, but America’s Test Kitchen breaks down all the secrets with a sirloin burger recipe that will forever elevate your burger game. Here’s how to make them.
Tips for Blue Cheese Burgers
Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. When stirring the butter and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat or the burgers will become dense.
For the sirloin burger recipe, freezing beef chunks in a single layer until very firm but still slightly pliable. Process the meat in batches. Pulse it in a food processor, grinding to 1/16-inch pieces.
Transfer the meat to a separate baking sheet to check for any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard fat.
Melted butter brushed or drizzled over the top is one of those pro-tips for steaks, so it works well in this sirloin burger recipe too—and takes it one step further by tossing the ground meat in drizzled butter and seasonings too.
You’ll cook the burgers on the stovetop, and then transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet, topping each with crumbles of blue cheese and baking them to temperature
Working Ahead
While the beef is in the freezer, you’ll cook the shallots until golden and crispy, seasoning them.
The patties can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 day.
Assembling the Blue Cheese Burgers
Before serving the burgers, set them aside for 5 minutes, letting the meat rest. Meanwhile, spread fig jam on the top of each bun. Each of the blue cheese burgers also get topped with crispy shallots.
Juicy Pub-Style Burgers with Crispy Shallots, Blue Cheese, and Orchard Choice California Fig Spread
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sirloin steak tips trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil plus 1 teaspoon
- 3 thinly sliced shallots
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 ounces blue cheese
- 4 tablespoons Quick Mission Dried Fig Jam
- 4 hamburger buns toasted and buttered
Instructions
- Place beef chunks on baking sheet in single layer. Freeze meat until very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, about 35 minutes. While beef is in freezer, heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil and shallots in medium saucepan over high heat; cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are golden, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots to towel-lined plate, season with salt, and set aside.
- Place one-quarter of meat in food processor and pulse until finely ground into 1/16-inch pieces, about 35 one-second pulses, stopping and redistributing meat around bowl as necessary to ensure beef is evenly ground. Transfer meat to second baking sheet. Repeat grinding with remaining 3 batches of meat. Spread meat over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle melted butter over ground meat and add 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently toss with fork to combine. Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten into patties 3/4 inch thick and about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook. (Patties can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 day.)
- Season 1 side of patties liberally with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to skillet and cook without moving for 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet, top each with 1 ounce crumbled blue cheese, and bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into burger registers 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 degrees for medium, 3 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Spread 1 tablespoon fig spread on top of each bun. Transfer burgers to buns. Top burgers with crispy shallots, and serve.