Cocktail Confessions

One of my all time favorite chef personalities is Bobby Flay.  From his early days on Food Network TV, I have pretty much followed him for the better part of a decade after I first ran across one of his earlier shows “Grilln’ & Chillin’“. 

I was pretty much hooked on his interpretation and fusion of southwestern dishes.  Since those early years on TV, no can deny he has garnered quite a following from the numerous shows he has hosted and energetic charisma.  He has opened a few restaurants over the years as well, namely the famous Bolo (now closed), Mesa Grill, and the more recently Bobby’s Burger Palace.

Bobby currently hosts “Throwdown! with Bobby Flay“, “Grill Nation“, “Grill It! with Bobby Flay“, co-hosts “The Next Food Network Star” and of course is a coveted “Iron Chef America“.  He is definitely one of my early inspirations for first wanting to picking up a set of tongs and claiming the BBQ as my outdoor kitchen.  Over the years I have received his cook books, accessories, and pre-packaged rubs as gifts and have enjoyed them all.  I suppose my secret passion is to both eat at Mesa Grill and to also meet Chef Flay in person.

But enough of the history lesson.  Let’s get down to business.  The ‘Cuban Burger’ is actually a Flay re-interpretation of the Cuban classic sandwich that is pressed and grilled as if it were a panini.  Traditionally, it was made with cold sliced pork, sliced Serrano ham, dill pickles, Swiss cheese and yellow mustard, all on buttered Cuban bread (made with lard, not oil). 

Chef Flay made this his own by substituting the pork with a grilled beef burger, buns, Dijon mustard and a garlic mayonnaise spread.  I made it that way when I first saw him grill this and it is was absolutely delicious….a very unexpected treat for a burger.  Simple, yet effective.

As anyone who knows me, I too like to experiment in the kitchen and come up with my own twists on recipes and stylizing it as my own.  I can’t really say its my creation, but it is indeed my spin on the Cuban Burger and every single time I make it for friends and family, I have always had someone ask me for the recipe.  That makes me feel really good, and while in the end it is just a burger, I have had more than a handful of guests tell me it’s one of the best burgers they have ever had. 

The good news is it’s pretty darn simple to make.  There is a little bit of extra assembly mid stream, but it’s not rocket science by any means and you can customize this further and make it your own as well.

Be careful though, a bit too much customization and complexity may be your foil.  You won’t catch a Cuban putting lettuce or tomato on this as it would be considered too much of an American-ization of a classic.  But I say, you could probably swap the bun for ciabatta rolls, maybe try a dab of chimichurri sauce or a banana pepper along with the pickles, and maybe try your favorite mustard. 

Anyway, with out further ado, here is the Cocktail Confessions Cuban Burger:

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat. (Make sure grate is clean and seasoned. Use a non-stcik spray if need be)
• Form fresh ground chuck into 1/4 inch patties.  While most burgers are ‘ground beef’, I prefer ‘ground chuck’.  It is slightly leaner at 15-20% fat whereas regular hamburger meat is closer to 30% fat.  This means that not only is chuck a healthier choice, but won’t shrink or flare up as much on the grill.  In a pinch, you can find frozen pre-made patties (in different qualities and grades) at the store, but make sure you thaw them out before the next step.
• Season patties with fresh ground black pepper and kosher or sea salt.  Please try and avoid iodized table salt and pepper if you can, I guarantee your taste buds will thank you later.
• Have slices of good quality Swiss cheese on standby.  Should be one slice for every patty, and don’t skimp here by using processed cellophane wrapped slices.  Also have slices of good smoked ham and kosher dill pickles stacker’s on standby.
• Tear off sheets of aluminum foil that you’ll be able to wrap your burgers in and place aside for the time being.
• Grill patties 2-3 minutes each side for medium doneness.  Longer if desired, but remember, we’re not done cooking these yet.
• While grilling the meat, you can combine 2-3 smashed or pureed cloves of garlic to about a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.  For a healthier choice, go ahead and substitute Smart Balance mayo (I can’t really tell the difference in taste to be honest), and to save this step even further, Kraft has recently introduced a Hot & Spicy mayo in a squeeze bottle.  This stuff is the bomb.
• Spread both sides of your split bun with your mayo and mustard.  Here, I use high quality Dijon mustard (not yellow) which is either smooth or stone ground.  I also use my Kraft Hot & Spicy here.  My buns are a slightly higher quality than generic hamburger buns.  I like mine with sesame seed sprinkled on the top, or I’ll use potato buns large enough for a burger, or ciabatta rolls if I have a bit extra to spend.
• Begin assembling your burgers by placing the cooked meat patties down on lower bun, followed by slice of Swiss, followed by a slice or two of your smoked ham, and top off with at least two long strips of sandwich stacker dill pickles.  Put bun top on and now wrap each assembled burger in a sheet of tin foil.
• Using your hands, press down on the wrapped burger, not smash, but enough to compact them to a slightly flatter shape.
• Lower heat on grill to medium, and place wrapped burgers back on for approx. two minutes, then flip for an additional two minutes.  This should be long enough to not only heat the bun and meat, but melt the cheese inside.

That’s it.  I know my directions may seem a tad lengthy, but once you assemble the first one the rest are a snap and pretty much fool proof.  Like I said, this is pretty close to the spirit of a real Cuban sandwich, and you change a few ingredients, but I wouldn’t deviate that much.  This is one of those recipe’s where less is more, or “keep it simple, stupid”.

Once you unwrap these I’d be surprised if you didn’t get a few compliments.  I’d probably have a side dish of grilled watermelon, maybe some ranch style beans, some southwestern potato salad, or other Latin/caribbean inspired sides such as a jicama slaw.

Drink wise I’d shoot for a mojito or some other tropical light rum cocktail.  Try some iced watermelon or traditional sangria, or maybe a good cold IPA or medium bodied beer.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I’d love to get your feedback.