Friday, June 26, 2015

Teriyaki Burgers and a Sweet Potato Bun Tease

Your classic teriyaki burger is usually nothing more than a plain patty, which has been glazed in teriyaki sauce; and by “teriyaki sauce,” I mean a thick, one-dimensional syrup made from sugar, soy, and MSG. If you’re enjoying your third pint at a sports bar, these work out just fine, but good luck adapting them for your next cookout.

Here we’re using a different, drier approach, and adding the key teriyaki flavorings to the ground meat. This gives us a burger or slider with the taste of teriyaki, without having to deal with a sauce. This recipe should work no matter the cooking method, although a medium-hot charcoal grill would be my preference, weather permitting.

No matter how you grill these, I highly recommend they end up on a homemade sweet potato slider bun. Besides another way to tweak the humble hamburger, this clip was intended to be a sneak preview for some rather amazing buns. We’ll post that sometime Monday, just in case you want to add it to your 4th of July menu. So stay tuned, and as always, enjoy!


Ingredients for four (4-oz) burgers:
1 pound ground beef (85/15 lean to fat ratio)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tsp sriracha, or other hot sauce to taste
2 tsp brown sugar

11 comments:

Tracy said...

You're killing me with this sweet potato bun business. Recipe cliffhangers are no fair! :)

That said, this sounds delicious, and something my husband might actually brave trying... so we can get away from frozen burger patties *shudder*

Unknown said...

Is that a kumato? How does it taste compared to a tomato?

scroop said...

Your tripod makes me sad.

Unknown said...

HEY!...long time viewer first time commenter...finally some Chef John outtakes - man its about time. I am still waiting for the out outtakes where you are dropping the f-bomb under your breath lol. You should do these videos live with no editing I am sure they would be far more entertaining...sort of a harkening back to Julia Child's 'The French Chef'! Oh yeah and what Tracy said too...where in the world are our Sweet Potato Buns...common stop nipping at the sake and get cracken...ok ok I'm playing, but seriously thanks for all the great work you've done - I truly believe it means more to most of us than you realize.

Unknown said...

If you want to serve little sliders at a cocktail party, you can cut a hod dog bun into several little slider buns.
Just a little party tip.
I'm going to make your burger tonight. I believe I have everything on hand except your sweet potato rolls.
Terry

Unknown said...

Trying this burger recipe right now, using 1 lb of ground turkey breast mixed with 1 lb of ground brisket. It smells great even before cooking, which I am about to do.

Luana said...

Yeah I tend to lose control when I eat potato chips :P

Unknown said...

Chef, what time zone do you live in? I was awake at one in the morning when your potato slider buns recipe came in. I wanted to get up and try them. They look delicious. I have some sweet potato in the refrigerator, I am about to try them. Stay tune!

Unknown said...

I made this burger recipe tonight and it was delicious!! Thanks, Chef John!!

rodentraiser said...

Chief John, you know that anchovy paste you like (and I can't find)? I was reading something the other day about Worcestershire sauce having fish sauce in it. So maybe that's why the sauce makes the hamburger taste so good. As you said, secret ingredient and all.........

Billy MacKenzie said...


Oh man, Finally went to the big city and remembered to get some Mirin. Now I'm gonna kick this shits ass with some pineapple on top.