Landarc! What would you cook with this

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Landarc,

Using the following recipe as a starting point help me craft a burger to go along with it.

Ponzu Pickled Cucumber
1 hot house cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup ponzu
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha
8 thin slices of fresh ginger.

Combine all ingredients for several hours, minimum. Sprinkle with minced cilantro and salt.

Any protein is open for discussion, but it's got to be a burger!

I was thinking maybe along the lines of the Katsu Burger we discussed at lunch, but the chicken would have to be ground and not a whole breast.

Thoughts?

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

I would do the pickle a little different. Salt the cucumber with 2 tablespoons of salt, mix thoroughly and let sit for 15 minutes. Then wash and drain. Add the pickling ingredients. The texture will be better.

I would consider the Katsu burger we discussed at lunch, but, I would also consider a pork burger, but, season the pork maybe a pound, with finely minced garlic (2 cloves), grated ginger (1/4 teaspoon), minced water chestnuts (2 tablespoons or so), and a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce. Lightly blend it, grill or smoke. Some binder in the form of wet bread or bread crumbs will be a good thing.

If I was going to do the chicken burger, I would grind it, with some salt, white pepper, a little grated apple, and a splash of Tonkatsu sauce, mix, smoke then deep fry in Panko. I bet this can be done.

Hawg Father of Seoul · Aug 9, 2013

That is a LOT of sesame oil.

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

landarc said:
I would do the pickle a little different. Salt the cucumber with 2 tablespoons of salt, mix thoroughly and let sit for 15 minutes. Then wash and drain. Add the pickling ingredients. The texture will be better.

I would consider the Katsu burger we discussed at lunch, but, I would also consider a pork burger, but, season the pork maybe a pound, with finely minced garlic (2 cloves), grated ginger (1/4 teaspoon), minced water chestnuts (2 tablespoons or so), and a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce. Lightly blend it, grill or smoke. Some binder in the form of wet bread or bread crumbs will be a good thing.

If I was going to do the chicken burger, I would grind it, with some salt, white pepper, a little grated apple, and a splash of Tonkatsu sauce, mix, smoke then deep fry in Panko. I bet this can be done.

I had the same thought on salting the cukes before hand.

My personal school of thought is if binders, like bread crumbs it passes into the meatloaf category instead of a burger.

I like the flavors you are using. And the pork idea is great!

Hawg Father of Seoul said:
That is a LOT of sesame oil.

I was thinking the same thing. So much so that I checked the recipe three times last night and again this morning.

It must be that it is a quick pickling process so maybe it doesn's absorb all the flavor.

Landarc and HFofS what do you think of just adding a couple of drops of sesame oil to the pickles and a little to the pork for the burger as Landarc suggests?

Whatever we decide in this thread is going to become a real burger on my website...

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

I would cut back on the sesame oil in the pickles. It can be done to taste. I rarely use more than a dash of that stuff

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

BTW, I assume that us toasted sesame oil, not regular sesame oil.

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

landarc said:
BTW, I assume that us toasted sesame oil, not regular sesame oil.

I only buy toasted sesame oil...

Damn True · Aug 9, 2013

Might go nicely with a lamb burger.

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Damn True said:
Might go nicely with a lamb burger.

Lamb might work well, but I was thinking something a little more Asian in flavor. When I think of Asian I don't think of lamb.

Damn True · Aug 9, 2013

You could push it in the banh-mi direction and make it sort of a pork belly sandwich...

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Damn True said:
You could push it in the banh-mi direction and make it sort of a pork belly sandwich...

I could, but Landarc and I are into burgers right now. Now grinding up the pork belly and going towards a banh-mi burger....

hmmmmm.....

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Damn True said:
You could push it in the banh-mi direction and make it sort of a pork belly sandwich...

BBQ Grail said:
I could, but Landarc and I are into burgers right now. Now grinding up the pork belly and going towards a banh-mi burger....

hmmmmm.....

So how could I incorporate some of the skin into a burger.

Thinly sliced and fried for some crunch?

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

Lamb is actually quite Chinese. There is an entire cuisine in China based upon lamb. Sichuan cuisine is also brilliant with lamb. I like the pork for this, and smoked at that, as the cucumber recipe will go well with pork.

That being said, I make similar cucumber pickles all the time, and they go well with turkey, chicken and lamb. Not so much beef.

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

Get you some 4505 chicharrones, crumble them up and use as a topping. Glorious!

Damn True · Aug 9, 2013

BBQ Grail said:
So how could I incorporate some of the skin into a burger.

Thinly sliced and fried for some crunch?

Julienne it, fry and add it in the manner the strips of julienne pickled daikon and carrot would be added in a traditional banh-mi?

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

landarc said:
Lamb is actually quite Chinese. There is an entire cuisine in China based upon lamb. Sichuan cuisine is also brilliant with lamb. I like the pork for this, and smoked at that, as the cucumber recipe will go well with pork.

That being said, I make similar cucumber pickles all the time, and they go well with turkey, chicken and lamb. Not so much beef.

What do you know about Asian cuisine you grew up in Richmond. But I digress...

I'm leaning towards pork....

Now what about a "secret" sauce?

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Damn True said:
Julienne it, fry and add it in the manner the strips of julienne pickled daikon and carrot would be added in a traditional banh-mi?

Excellent. :clap2:

This would work with the pickles this thread started with.

BBQ Grail · Aug 9, 2013

Pork blend?

80% pork loin
20% pork belly

Damn True · Aug 9, 2013

The blend sounds about right. The risk is in it being too salty and possibly too greasy if there's too much pork belly in the burger. Remember, in a banh-mi, there's a lot more veg than meat by volume to balance out that fatty pork.

landarc · Aug 9, 2013

I would do a tenderloin, some pork shoulder and a little bacon for the meat blend. You could sneak a little bit of lamb in there, it creates amazing complexity when combined with pork.

When I do Banh Mi, I use julienned carrots, daikon and cucumber, but, very similar recipe as you started this thread with.

For the sauce, find some Yuzu citrus, and some Sudachi, combine the zest and juice in a mortar and pestle, or just grate it together, then mix it into mayonnaise. You could add some sriracha, or chile oil, and that would make a great compound mayonnaise.

Landarc! What would you cook with this

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