THE BRICK BURGER

The Brick Burger image

What's that you say? You want the secret to the most unbelievable gooey- cheesy-extra-crusty-juicy burger ever? All you need is a Brick... House... JK, you only need the brick. It presses the burgers like a panini and crisps the bread while letting all the flavors and juices of the burger and toppings mingle together. Like at a house party. A brick house party.

Provided by Guy Fieri

Time 1h20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 25

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Puree, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 or 4 turns freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Puree, recipe follows
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 turns freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup diced drained jarred pimientos
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 or 6 turns freshly ground black pepper
4 sourdough buns
1 large kosher dill pickle, thinly sliced
1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced
8 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
1 beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
2 garlic heads
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 or 5 turns freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

For the roasted garlic butter:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until evenly incorporated.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of the roasted garlic butter and set aside for the burgers. Reserve remaining roasted garlic butter for another use (keeps for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator).
For the donkey sauce:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth.
2. Set aside 4 tablespoons of the donkey sauce for the burgers. Reserve remaining donkey sauce for another use (keeps for up to 6 days in the refrigerator.)
For the donkey burgers:
1. In a small bowl, combine the pickle relish and diced pimientos. Set aside.
2. Preheat a grill to hot. Form the ground beef into four 6-ounce patties, each about 4 inches in diameter. Season the patties on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the patties for 4 to 5 minutes, until they have a nice char and blood begins to come to the surface. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on the second side. Remove the burgers from the grill and set aside to cool.
3. Lightly brush the cut sides of the buns with the melted roasted garlic butter. Toast the bun halves on the grill until golden and crisp, about 45 seconds per side. Set aside.
4. Reduce the grill heat to medium.
5. To assemble the burgers, lightly smear 1 tablespoon donkey sauce on the cut side of each bun. Cover the bottom bun with 3 pickle slices and 1 or 2 onion slices. Top with the burger, 1 teaspoon of the relish mixture, 2 slices of Swiss cheese, some sliced ham, and 2 tomato slices. Cover with the top bun halves.
6. To finish the burgers, wrap each burger in heavy-duty aluminum foil, forming a tight packet and sealing around the edges. Place the burgers back on the grill and put a brick on top of them (one brick will cover two burgers). Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the brick, flip the packets, place the brick on top, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly. Tear open the foil and serve.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut enough off the top of the garlic heads to just expose the garlic cloves. Place them on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Wrap up the foil into a tight pouch. Place on a rimmed baking sheet if desired.
3. Roast until tender and medium brown in color, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
4. Squeeze the pulp from the skins and puree in a food processor.
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.