Monday, June 2, 2008

Fake Johnny B's V1

I thought the first recipe was a bit lacking in ambition.


Upon first tasting the Johnny Buccelli's Uncle Vito in Columbus, OH, I knew I was going to try and make one at home. You now can learn from my experience and perhaps your first version will be the only one because you get it right.

The first thing I prepared was the grilled onion. I like Vidalia or any sweet onion. Grilled in sesame oil because that's what I had.






Next the meat. I am not the biggest fan of Italian sausage in the first place. So I approached it with a bit of fear that it would be overwhelming. Do not repeat this mistake. I elected for a 2-1 beef to sausage ratio and I used regular mild instead of spicy sausage.



One pound of beef in tray, one pound of beef in bowl and one pound of sausage in tray.

After combining I added very little seasoning of salt and pepper. I shaped the first one about a 1/2 inch thick and a bit bigger than the bun. Note I did not go and buy new buns. So these were going to go on my normal $1 on sale buns.

I heated the pan and set it to fry. My cousin Gary (who is a Chef, not just some guy) says hot pan and cold meat so the meat does not stick.



While that was cooking I added the mushrooms to the onions.

I noticed the burger was cooking a bit fast so I used my heat diffuser for the other side. That's it peeking out from under the pan.

When it was done I cut some tomato and chose an "Ultimate" blue cheese dressing to complete my burger.

I must admit, it photographs well.

This was a pretty good first attempt. This burger is messy because of the onions and mushrooms. It is also drippy because of the burger and the blue cheese dressing. If I had paid for it I would be criticizing the bun all day. But in this case I knew I was making it too thick for the small bun.

Aside from the physical issues it tasted great for a beef burger with a hint of sausage. But it feel short for a burger that is a blend of tastes. For my next one I think a 1-1 beef to spicy sausage will be better. With a bigger and better bun also I think the toppings will not fall off, and the juiciness will be better absorbed.

The next day I fried two for lunch. My tip would be to only cook them 2/3 the way. This will compensate for having to microwave them later. This method worked out pretty well. Sorry no photos. But they are drippy and we were hungry.

If you give it a try you'll need:

1-2lb ground beef

1lb ground Italian sausage (try spicy)

onion to grill

sliced mushroom to grill with onion

a decent bun

Blue cheese dressing

tomato is optional

Good luck!

By the way. As I was cooking I was also cleaning the kitchen, and broke a glass...with my hand in it. Look at the way it broke in a "D" pattern. That was fun trying to wiggle my hand out.

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