BEHOLD! My burger obsession returns.
It never really went away. A few weeks ago I ate a late-night burger at Red Robin (after enduring the disappointing Jersey Boys movie at 11:30 PM) and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. Right now I want to cover my life in onion straws.
But anyway — it’s Friday. Time for burgers. And mojitos for some people, and agua fresca for me.
That simple chopped cherry pepper relish below might not look like much, but trust me: it’s everything. Sweet, smoky, a little spicy — the perfect counterpoint to a juicy cheeseburger.
This was our Fifth of July celebration: I cooked the burgers while Eddie cut the sleeves off his 5K shirt. Welcome to real life: apparently none of my shirts have sleeves either.
I should tell you — this is my slightly trashy homage to Shake Shack’s SmokeShack burger. On my first visit there I skipped the plain burger and went straight for the SmokeShack (and the cheese fries, obviously). The combo of sweet-hot cherry peppers, bacon and smoky flavor hooked me instantly.
Sometimes you want a basic burger, but the SmokeShack is my go-to when I’m craving something bold.
For my at-home version I use smoked cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon and a smoky mayo spread — enough smoke to be interesting without making the burger taste charred. The result is a balanced mix of savory beef, rich cheese, smoky richness, sweet heat from the cherry peppers, and crisp bacon.
I found hot-and-sweet cherry peppers (basically pimentos) at Trader Joe’s and bought them with only one destiny in mind: SmokeShack-inspired burgers. They were made for this.
I can’t even think about these without getting overly excited.
Smoky Sweet Cherry Pepper Cheeseburgers
4
servings
1 hr
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean recommended)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, sliced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon diced dill pickle
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (bourbon smoked if available)
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 8 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked
- 2 cups hot-and-sweet cherry peppers (pimentos), diced
- 4 potato buns or your favorite hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a bowl, gently combine the ground beef with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, then form into four equal patties.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter. Cook the burgers to your desired doneness — about 5 minutes per side for medium-well. After you flip the burgers, top each with smoked cheddar slices and cover the skillet to help the cheese melt evenly. You can also grill the burgers if you prefer.
- Make the smoky spread by stirring together the mayonnaise, diced pickle, smoked paprika and mustard until smooth. Spread the mayo on the bottom bun, place the cheeseburger on top, add two slices of bacon and a few spoonfuls of the diced cherry peppers. Top with the bun and press lightly. Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag your photos with #howsweeteats on Instagram. Share your results and show off those juicy, smoky cherry pepper cheeseburgers — I love seeing your recreations!
Now just give me the fries.