Monster Burgers

This is another work in process type of cook that I like to fool around with although I am now getting a pretty good product. I got this idea about 5-6 years ago when I read about a big burger at a joint somewhere up in the Northeast that weighed a total of about 5 pounds and if you could eat it all, you would get it free and your name placed upon their wall with your picture. I said, I can do that!!

Since that time, there are places that now make the big burgers over 50 pounds!

Anyway, it was somewhat harder than I expected to make one of the big burgers but I did get it figured out.

Now, where do you find a big bun??? Believe me, in my area, NOWHERE!! You either make it yourself or hire it made and that is way too expensive for a one time bun.



I made my first big burger bun about 14" in diameter and got it way toooo thick for the amount of meat that I had planned. It was my idea to be able to eat the big burger after I got it made and had to toss that bun and try again. I made up another big sesame seeded bun and baked it at 350 degrees on the ceramic cooker for the second time and got it about right. Now, how do I cut it...I don't own a knife that is 17-18" long like a fellow would need to cut the bun in half. Anyway, I got it hacked into two pieces and it looked pretty good other than I forgot to turn the bun on the ceramic cooker to get a little more even browning but I did learn how to make a big bun that I could use for my burger.



Making the burger was another problem. Unless it is made about 2-3" thick, it won't hold together for cooking. I didn't want it 2-3" thick as I wanted to be able to kinda quarter it and pick it up eat it like a regular burger. My second problem is how in the world would I turn the big burger over on the cooker without it falling apart.

I had to make a couple of changes for it to work like I wanted. I then started out with around 2-3 pounds of 70% lean burger, to this, I added some finely chopped onions, some sharp cheddar cheese, and an egg to help hold the pattie together. I made this pattie 14" in diameter. This pattie worked out well and I could handle it on the cooker.

I then took the bun back out and grilled it on the ceramic cooker and then placed my big hamburger on it. Looked like I had a good start on my big burger.



I then dressed the burger with some lettuce, onions, tomatoes,cheese, and my special sauce and placed the top bun on the burger.



Now that is a good looking big burger. After some shrinkage with both the bun and the burger, the sandwich ended up about 13" in diameter. I wish I would have weighed the sandwich but I forgot. I would guess about 5 pounds.



I now had a big burger that a fellow can actually pick up with his hands and eat the thing!

I plan to make my next big burger about 18" in diameter with about 6-8 pounds of meat. Now that is a whopper!!