This Asian Burger is the umami bomb you need to make for your next backyard bbq. This is a new caliber of burger. I just competed in a burger challenge and our team came up with the idea to emulate The Karate Kid and made a Mr. Miyagi style burger. No waxing needed.
My teammate and co-worker Shelley, is the master of coming up with insanely good flavor combinations. This burger is close but nothing compared to what she came up with. So this burger is dedicated to her. This is the Shelley Asian Burger.
The flavor components here just work; the crunchy acidity of the quick pickled red cabbage, with the flavorful hoisin burger patty, the meaty umami sauteed trumpet mushrooms and the crisp cool cucumber. Also, you can’t forget about a spicy sriracha aioli. It’s the perfect bite of savory, umami, salty, crunchy goodness.
I’m all about texture on my burgers. The pickled red cabbage takes less than 4 hours and still maintains it’s natural crunch but has insane tangy flavor. I highly suggest adding some carrots to this pickling mixture as well. I couldn’t get enough. I sat there eating straight out of the bowl. Think of it like an intense tangy slaw.
Sriracha aioli is super easy to whip up, you can find it in grocery stores now, but a little mayo mixed with sriracha and lime juice goes a long way.
Trumpet mushrooms are meatier than the average mushroom and they also have great umami flavor when cooked. Slice, saute, and top that burger.
I’ve talked about this before and I’ll say it again. Brioche buns or bust for burgers. Say that 5 times fast. It’s the only bun worth gracing the presence of a homemade burger. Buttery and toasty texture just rounds this burger out.
Wine Pairing Recommendation: This burger will be vastly improved with a glass of rosé. Just saying.
Asian Burger
When grilling up burgers, always opt for the ground beef straight from the butcher, they have the good stuff. A good ratio is 70% lean beef 30% fat. The fattier the content of ground beef, the more flavorful and juicier the burger. You can prep the pickled red cabbage the day before to cut down on prep time, but it really is easy to put all the ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 4 hours and serve.
Ingredients
- 1 small Red Cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sambal Chili Garlic Paste
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 package {4 ounces} Trumpet Mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Lime Wedge, juiced
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 1 whole Cucumber, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- 6 whole Brioche Buns
- Green Onion, chopped for Garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Place sliced red cabbage in a bowl. Combine water, rice wine vinegar, kosher salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a bowl and whisk to dissolve salt and sugar. Pour liquid of the cabbage and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours and place in the refrigerator for an additional 2 hours.
- Step 2 Combine ground beef, hoisin sauce, sambal paste, worcestershire sauce, and season with kosher salt and pepper. Form your patties into 6 equal palm sized burgers and indent the center of the patties with your thumb for even cooking. Preheat your grill to medium high heat, about 450 degrees F.
- Step 3 While your grill preheats, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Saute trumpet mushrooms for about 3 minutes until tender and browned. Season mushrooms with kosher salt. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to assemble.
- Step 4 Mix together mayonnaise, lime juice, and sriracha. Set aside for assembly.
- Step 5 Once your grill is preheated, grill your burger patties 5 minutes per side. Don’t forget to grill your brioche buns too over indirect heat. Keep an eye on them, they toast quickly.
- Step 6 For assembly, spread sriracha aioli on top toasted buns, drain red cabbage from it’s pickling liquid and layer pickled red cabbage on bottom toasted bun, grilled burger, sauteed trumpet mushrooms, cucumber ribbons and chopped green onions. Top with sriracha coated top bun and serve. Enjoy!
Savor and Enjoy!
