I don’t normally get recipe prompts from Reddit posts, but I saw someone who went to a restaurant that had a “keto special” that was a cheeseburger using fried portobello mushroom caps as the buns. I saw this post the day after my husband and I had grilled up a yummy bunless burger with blue cheese, bacon, and mushrooms, with Cajun seasoning on the outside of the burger for extra flavor. The fried mushroom caps seemed perfect for this burger, so I thought I had to give it a whirl.
This is not a low-calorie dish, I’m afraid. It’s stumbling up close to OMAD territory. That having been said, it’s definitely worth it for an occasionally treat, or if you’re an intermittent faster. And frankly, sometimes you just need a big-ass burger, so here we are.
You’re probably wondering, looking at the picture, how I managed to get melty blue cheese to come out of the middle of a perfectly pink burger. Or maybe you’re grossed out by the idea of a burger this temperature, but trust me on this. Try making them in a sous vide. If you heat the ground beef up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 2 hours, you’ll kill any pathogens and still keep a nice juicy pink burger, with the added benefit of oozy cheese in the middle when you cut it open. If you don’t have a sous vide, or don’t like your burgers pink like I do, just grill them to your desired temperature instead.
To make the burger patties, you’ll need about 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese to go with a pound of ground beef. I found a smoked blue cheese that was to die for, but if you can’t find that it’ll be fine with the normal kind. Divide your beef into two equal balls. Smash them flat, put the cheese in the center, and roll it back into a ball. Flatten it into a patty that’s about an inch thick, and check the edges to make sure the cheese is still sealed up inside. Coat both sides of the patties liberally with Cajun seasoning. Make sure you read the labels and get a sugar-free variety. If you’re making them sous vide, vacuum seal each burger up individually, then put them in a 140F water bath for two hours. If you’re grilling, grill them over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, depending on how cooked you want them. To finish the sous vide patties, pat them dry and then fry them up on high for 1-2 minutes per side, enough to give them a brown crust. I fried mine in the same pan I made the bacon in. After I flipped mine, I topped the patties with more blue cheese and put a lid on the pan to melt it.
To make the buns, rinse off 4 portobello mushroom caps and pat them as dry as possible with paper towels. Heat up at least 1 cup of avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large cast-iron skillet, to about 375 degrees. You’ll want the oil to be deep enough to come halfway up the sides of the mushroom caps. On a large plate, mix together 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup of pork rind crumbs with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and black pepper. Beat an egg in a small bowl. If your bowl isn’t big enough to hold the mushroom caps, use a pastry brush to brush the egg onto both sides of the mushroom caps before dredging them in the crumbs. Fry them for about 3 minutes per side in the oil, turning them with tongs. Depending on the size of your mushrooms, you may need to do this in two batches. When they’re done, drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
To assemble your burger, place the largest two mushroom caps on the bottoms. Top with a burger patty, then the bacon, then the smaller mushroom caps. You’ll probably want a knife and fork for these, because they’re about four inches tall when all is said and done!
Black and Blue Bacon Cheeseburger
Equipment
- Sous vide apparatus
Ingredients
For the Burgers
- 1 lb. ground beef 93% lean
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles divided
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 2-4 slices bacon cooked
For the Mushroom Buns
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup pork rind crumbs
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- black pepper to taste
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1-2 cups avocado oil for frying
Instructions
For the Burger Patties
- Divide the ground beef into two equal portions. Smash them into flat disks and put 1 ounce of blue cheese into the center of each disk. Wrap the meat up around the cheese and seal into a ball, then smash the ball flat until it's about an inch thick. Make sure to seal the edges to ensure that no cheese leaks out. Sprinkle each side liberally with Cajun seasoning.
- For sous vide, set your apparatus to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Seal each burger in a vacuum seal bag, then put it in the bath for 2 hours. Remove them from the bags, pat them dry, sprinkle with some extra Cajun seasoning if desired, then fry over high heat for 1-2 minutes per side, enough to get a brown crust on the outside of the meat. After flipping, you can top each one with the remaining 2 ounces of blue cheese crumbles and put a lid on the skillet to melt it.
- For grilling, grill for 6-8 minutes per side over medium high heat, until your burgers are the desired temperature. Make sure the center is at least 140 degrees for food safety.
For the Mushroom Buns
- Heat the avocado oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, until it reaches 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse your mushroom caps and pat them as dry as possible with paper towels. Slice off excess stems if necessary.
- Mix together the parmesan, pork rind crumbs, garlic powder, and pepper on a dinner plate. Beat the egg in a small bowl.
- Using a pastry brush or your hands, coat the mushroom caps in egg, then dredge in the crumbs. Fry for 3 minutes per side, turning carefully with tongs, then remove from the oil and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- To assemble the burgers, use the larger mushroom caps as the bottom buns. Top with a burger patty, then bacon, then use the smaller caps as the top buns.
- Macros per serving (estimated due to variability in frying): 889 calories, 10 grams net carbs, 79 grams protein, 60 grams fat.
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