PB&J Burger

For this Mitten Movie Night we are watching Stranger Things.  In honor of it I decided to go all out and try to make something special to coincide with a night of binge watching this awesome show.  If you follow my blog you know that I love recreating regional favorites.  Whether it’s Michigan or Memphis Hot Dogs or recreating a sandwich I had in Ohio, I’m in for taking a culinary trip with my taste buds.  So, why not make something from Indiana which is were the show takes place?  The Peanut Butter Burger.

Even though I live very close to Indiana I’ll be honest I’m not totally immersed in what foods are big there.  So off to the little ‘tell me what I don’t know’ box called the internet I went.  With some research I found 9 Strange Food Combinations Only People In Indiana Will Love from Only In Your State. Right at the Top #1-Peanut Butter and Hamburgers. Hmm…..this might just be interesting enough to try.  Never had it, but I’ll try it. The article said that it usually comes with jalapenos so of course this was going to be delicious with the sweet, salty and spicy flavors all working together.

I thought a Halloween themed beer would be good so Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale from New Belgium it is. While a more locally sourced craft beer would probably have been better this beer was purchased in Mishawaka at Costco so close enough!  Now on to this peanut butter burger that really was a delicious surprise.

For the burgers we’re keeping it simple so mix the ground beef, pepper, salt and garlic powder and shape into 4 patties.  I always cook my burgers in a cast iron skillet with some oil.  After a recent episode of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives there was a restaurant that covered the burgers with a dish so they stayed moist.  I tried this trick and it worked great.

Place burgers in skillet and cook without the bowl over it for 3 minutes.  Cover with a bowl as shown below and cook for another 5 minutes.  Using a spatula flip up the side of the bowl then use tongs to take it off completely. Do not touch the bowl, it is hot!  Flip burgers and let cook for 3 minutes.  Using the tongs place the bowl back over and cook for another 5 minutes.  Using the same technique as before flip the bowl off, add the shredded cheese equally over the burgers and return the bowl one last time.  Cook finally for another 2-3 minutes to melt cheese then remove them from the pan.

So the ‘PB’ is of course for peanut butter but the ‘J’ is for jam.  Bacon jam to be exact.  I thought this would be a good addition. I recently had a burger on it at a local brewery and now I’m obsessed.  In an effort to keep some in my house at all times now I made some using this Easy Skillet Bacon Jam recipe.

Toast the bun with a little butter then assemble the burger.  Spread the peanut butter on the bottom, burger, jalapenos and bacon jam.  Add lettuce and tomatoes if you wish.  And here you are…..

From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!

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