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Donut Shop Burgers

By Russell Selander

Published on June 2, 2020

Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Donut Shop Burgers

Ingredients

1 Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Beef Burger Blend recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)4 (4‑inch) vanilla glazed donuts, split crosswise1 Candied Bacon recipe

Before You Begin

We prefer to use either our Grind-Your-Own Sirloin Burger Blend or our Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Burger Blend here; however, you can substitute 1¾ pounds of 85 percent ground beef if desired. For the glazed donut bun, we found that premium donuts from a local bakery were less sweet and a much better choice than those from a fast-food chain. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Divide burger blend into 4 lightly packed balls, then gently flatten into ¾‑inch-thick patties. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.
  2. Season patties with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12‑inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Gently flip patties, top with cheese, and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet, divot side down, and bake until burgers register 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve burgers on donuts, topped with bacon.
Donut Shop Burgers
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Donut Shop Burgers

Headshot of Russell Selander
By Russell Selander
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Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Beef Burger Blend recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)
4 (4‑inch) vanilla glazed donuts, split crosswise
1 Candied Bacon recipe

Ingredients

1 Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Beef Burger Blend recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)
4 (4‑inch) vanilla glazed donuts, split crosswise
1 Candied Bacon recipe

Ingredients

1 Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Beef Burger Blend recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)
4 (4‑inch) vanilla glazed donuts, split crosswise
1 Candied Bacon recipe

Why This Recipe Works

We started by searing our burgers in a skillet to develop a well-browned crust before finishing them gently in the oven for a perfectly cooked interior. For the bacon, we used our Black Pepper Candied Bacon; slicing each bacon strip in half created more burger-friendly and manageable pieces, and rubbing them with a combination of black pepper and brown sugar before baking created a mildly spicy and pleasantly caramelized exterior. Once cooled, the sugar solidified to form a crunchy coating, adding pleasant texture to our burger.

Before You Begin

We prefer to use either our Grind-Your-Own Sirloin Burger Blend or our Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Burger Blend here; however, you can substitute 1¾ pounds of 85 percent ground beef if desired. For the glazed donut bun, we found that premium donuts from a local bakery were less sweet and a much better choice than those from a fast-food chain. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Divide burger blend into 4 lightly packed balls, then gently flatten into ¾‑inch-thick patties. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.
  2. Season patties with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12‑inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Gently flip patties, top with cheese, and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet, divot side down, and bake until burgers register 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve burgers on donuts, topped with bacon.

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