A moment of silence please, as we somberly appreciate what could well be one of the most delicious burgers ever created. Behold! The Gaines Brother Burger, named of course for Chip and Joanna’s sons who adore all things burger. The photo on the left from the pages of the cookbook, the photo on the right from my own humble kitchen. With frozen French fries… I may not have achieved that picture-perfect cheese melt down the side, nor served it on a rustic plank of plywood, because…why? But I assure you, this burger was executed as close to perfectly as you’d ever want! Let me take you behind the curtain so you, too, can make this magic happen.
Every great masterpiece must begin with a solid foundation. Bacon-Tomato Sweet Drip Jam is just such a cornerstone ingredient. Otherwise you end up with essentially a pretentious cheeseburger. I was not familiar with the term drip jam, but there are quite a few mentions of it throughout Magnolia Table. Jo defines it as, “looser than regular jam, so it spreads beautifully”. I’m not sure I achieved that aspect, but it “piled beautifully”, and that’s just as good! The recipe is super simple once I eliminated the expensive part; pork belly. I personally have a 1/4 hog butchered in my deep freezer, equalling well over 95 pounds of pork. You know what I don’t have? Pork belly. So ham slice it is! I should have read more carefully regarding the size the chunks should be, but even though my ham cubes were easily three times larger than she suggested, the end result worked and tasted great. A pound of bacon is the other key ingredient, and you can go with thin-slice style here; trust me, there’s plenty of pig to go around!
I’m going to state an unpopular opinion here: bacon does NOT automatically enhance every dish it touches. Please forward your hate mail to my manager, and he will be sure to send appropriate responses.
I don’t have a manager…
But seriously, I think bacon is far too much of a star to play a supporting role without being overbearing. When wrapped around scallops and steaks it overwhelms, and has been known to, ahem, “hog” the spotlight if overused on a baked potato or in greens. I realize I am in the minority here, but I’m just saying don’t overdo it with the bacon; let the tomatoes and onions get some action! Along with brown sugar, butter, garlic and a little water, just let this simmer until the tomatoes and onions are caramelized and broken down into what becomes drip jam.
Great! Now you have the basis for one of the most popular burgers on the menu at Magnolia Table restaurant, and here’s what you need for the rest: garlic, Gruyère, and ‘gula. See what I did there? Mince fresh garlic into melted butter and brush that onto your buns, which much like your nuts, you should always toast! Brioche is so soft, you’ll want that crunchy barrier to keep the moisture from sogging out your bun as well as offer more support to what becomes a 6-inch high burger. I took artistic license here and added a schmear of garlic-horseradish dip as a mayo substitute on one half of the bun. The original recipe doesn’t call for any sauces except for the drip jam, but I trusted my instinct that it would taste amazing. Nailed it! On the other half of the bun, pile (or spread, if you did it right!) the drip jam, then top with thick slices of fresh tomato. Now for what we’ve all been waiting for, the MEAT! Well, calm down, it was nothing special. Really, only salt, pepper and 80/20 beef. However, I have never subscribed to the snooty proclamation, “just let the beef sing”. Stow it, I want seasoning! A little garlic powder and seasoned salt keeps this from being a boring patty, but you don’t need to get crazy with all the other taste sensations going on. Enter overpriced cheese #1 used consistently throughout this book: Gruyère! Honestly, they must make this stuff from their own cows, given how often she calls for it! It costs an arm and leg for us non-farmer types. I suppose you could use whatever cheese you like, but try this at least once; I can’t fault her flavor profile! A tip from my kitchen: rather than risk overcooking the beef, put a lid on the pan for a couple minutes if your cheese is not melting fast enough. I tried that method on my second burger, and achieved the pinup-worthy melty-ness I missed on the first go-round. Place the patty on the tomatoes, add more drip jam, and then pile on the ‘gula. Arugula, that is. Out of my comfort zone for a burger topping, but it works. Once I unhinged my jaw to get a bite with all ingredients represented, the expense and kitchen mess concerns disappeared from my brain. Sheer perfection!
So… now what to do with all the excess drip jam?? Frankly I couldn’t think of a thing to do with it, so luckily I’m not the author of this cookbook! Jo helpfully provided a few more ideas, such as serving it over baked Brie, with crackers, or on biscuits. And we know all about her biscuits by now, don’t we? Even more conveniently, she offered another recipe (which my son knocked out of the park) as an alternative for savory jams.
I absolutely love that both my kids take an interest in cooking, and I am more than happy to let my boy take over a recipe for this project whenever he comes for dinner. For once the yield was reasonable, and we were able to make just enough Bacon & Gruyère Drop Biscuits for one meal with a couple left over. Drop biscuits are the ugly step-sister to the rolled-and-cut version I made earlier. 
They are sticky and blobby, and not meant to look perfect; they are therefore very forgiving when you just plop the batter on a cookie sheet. You literally can’t mess it up, because it already looks a mess! What sets these biscuits apart from breakfast is an all-savory seasoning blend of garlic, salt, and pepper, and the addition of bacon and (of course!) more Gruyère. Does the bank offer a Cheese Loan?? All griping aside, the darn things tasted great, and the drip jam is a natural accompaniment. I have no idea if it will freeze well, but I’m willing to give it a try. There are more Gaines Brother Burgers in my near future!
Have Book, Will Cook 