In case you missed it live, chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery graced the Today Show with his presence last week and took everyone back to the basics with The Perfect Burger. David guided Al Roker and Willie Geist through the preparation of his “Fat Daddy Burger,” answering everything from: How should I season my patties? How many times do I flip? How do I know when they’re done?
To give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse: David took the “research” & recipe development quite seriously to be sure he had the perfect blend of meat. You can see him [pictured right] prepping at home (although we’ll leave the grilling to another segment!). All of us here at Simoneink were the designated taste-testers… A rough job, but someone’s got to do it. He finally settled on half sirloin, half brisket as the combination that delivers just the right amount of fat and flavor.
To access David’s Fat Daddy Burger recipe, click here (and scroll down). Below, we’ve also included the recipes for his Homemade Ketchup & Mustard, which he developed for last week’s cooking segment. David used his own ketchup and mustard during the Today Show demo, and now he breaks it down, showing us how to make each one from scratch!
Not a beef-lover? He also put together a recipe for you poultry fans: Da Jive Turkey Burger (which can be accessed via the same link). If you’re not sure how to dress your turkey burgers, we’ve also added David’s suggestions below. Spicy Olive Tapenade sound good to anyone?
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Homemade Yellow Mustard
Ingredients
1 cup Dry ground yellow mustard seed powder
1 cup Water
.66 cup Distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons All purpose flour
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
.5 teaspoon Turmeric
.5 teaspoon Garlic powder
Procedure
Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small sauce pot until smoothly combined. The mixture will be quite wet looking at this stage. Bring it to a boil over medium -high heat. Boil for 7 – 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mustard cool for 5 minutes. The mustard will thicken slightly during this time. Keep in mind the mustard will continue to thicken over the next 24 hours or even a couple of days.
Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
2 each 6-ounce cans tomato paste
.5 cup Distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Onion powder
.25 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Molasses
1 teaspoon Honey
2.5 cups Water
Procedure
Place everything in a sauce pot and on a medium heat bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. Pour into jam jars and seal. Keep at room temperature until the jars cool down, then store in the refrigerator.
Topping Suggestions for Turkey Burgers
Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
1 medium Sweet Vidalia Onion, halved and then sliced into half rings
3 tablespoons Cooking Oil or Butter
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Black Pepper [optional]
1 pinch Sugar [optional]
Procedure
Slice Sweet Vidalia onion in half and then into half rings. Place a large skillet or saucepan on medium-high and add oil or butter. When oil or butter begins to ripple, add onions. Add pinch of salt. Continue to stir and cook until onions are a golden brown color.
Assembly
Slice [2] 1/8 inch slices of cheese and place on the cooked burger. Add a tablespoon of caramelized onions and 2 slices of toasted rolls to complete the burger.
Spicy Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
.33 cup Spicy Olive Tapenade [can be found in salad section of local grocery]
.25 cup Mayonnaise [Duke’s preferably]
Procedure
Mix ingredients until blended evenly and spread on the toasted bun.
Toasted Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls
Ingredients
1, 8 pack Martins Sandwich Potato Rolls
.25 cup Melted Butter
Procedure
Heat flattop until very hot. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Lather the inside of the top and bottom of the bun with the melted butter and place on flattop until it browns, approximately 30-45 seconds.
Suggested Additional Toppings