Carnival Creates 300lb Burger, Guy's Burger Joint Recipe for National Burger Day

Sunday, May 28, 2017
Happy National Hamburger Day! My friends at Carnival took my favorite food holiday to a whole new level by creating a 300-pound, three-and-a-half-foot-wide hamburger. The culinary team on-board the Carnival Liberty (currently sailing out of Port Canaveral) crafted this giant burger, dubbed as the largest hamburger at sea at Guy's Burger Joint.
What makes a 300 pound burger? 200 pounds of meat, 50 pounds of toppings and 50 pounds of flour to make the bun. If we're playing numbers, let us talk for a second about how many burgers are made at Guy's Burger Joint each day. There are currently 14 Carnival ships that have a Guy's Burger Joint.   It’s estimated that 1,000 burgers are served per day on each ship. Do the math - that is more than 5 million burgers a year (free of charge)!
photo rights: Carnival Cruise Line
I've had my fair share of burgers from Guy's Burger Joint over the years and they never disappoint. I had an opportunity to learn from the pro's how to make an official Guy's Burger - and they start from tight a ball resembling a giant meatball! I make a ton of burgers at home and would have never known this trick.
A burger ball turns into a thin patty using a burger smasher (non-technical term I just made up) and a little arm power. The smashed patty will take 3 minutes to cook on a hot griddle.
Add a dash of salt and pepper to the burger and you are on your way to creating a delicious signature Guy's Burger. Here's the trick to Guy's Super Melty Cheese (SMC) - they put a little cheese whiz on the burger, about a teaspoon, before putting a slice of cheese on top. Then they use a some chicken stock to create steam to melt the cheese quickly.
I don't play by the rules so I crafted two burgers into one. One of my favorite burgers from Guy's is the Chilius Maximus which is a burger topped with an onion ring, Super Melty Cheese (using the trick I described above), Donkey Sauce and Chili. However, coming in close second is the Pig Patty, which is a burger topped with a patty made of crispy bacon. So Why not merge the two together! I never said this was a healthy option. But it is delicious!
Carnival released the recipe last year for the Pig Patty Burger, which I have held onto for a year now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to share with you all. The instructions and ingredients to my concoction is included below, just add an onion ring and chili to it! Happy National Burger Day!

Straight-Up with a Pig Patty Burger Recipe for National Hamburger Day
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri, for Carnival Cruise Line

Total Time: 2 hr. 50 min
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 2 hr. 20 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 heads garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
12 ounces thinly sliced Applewood smoked bacon
32 ounces ground beef (80/20 blend)
8 slices cheddar
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 2 tablespoons water
4 brioche hamburger buns, cut in half
1 kosher dill pickle, finely sliced
1/2 sweet onion, very finely sliced
1 beefsteak tomato, finely sliced
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, finely sliced
2 ounces Super Melty Cheese (‘SMC’) Sauce (recipe follows)
Donkey Sauce (recipe follows)

Super Melty Cheese (SMC) Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, warmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch grated nutmeg
3 ounces grated yellow American cheese

Donkey Sauce:
1/4 cup minced roasted garlic (use a little less if not using pre-prepared roasted garlic as it is stronger in flavor and less subtle than fresh)
1 cup prepared mayonnaise
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon regular hot dog mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 pinches ground black pepper
Directions:

Roast Garlic: Cut off the top third of the garlic head to expose cloves. Place onto a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold foil to cover then place into oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard husks and mash.

Make Garlic Butter: Mix 1 teaspoon of the roasted garlic with room temperature butter. Season with salt. Set aside in the fridge to slightly firm up.

Make Pig Patties: Set a large pot of cold water over high heat and add the bacon. Bring to a boil and cook until the bacon is very tender and almost falling apart, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain and set aside to cool. Set a cast-iron pan over high heat. Divide the bacon into 4 even portions and form into a patty. Place each on the grill. Press down with a foil-covered brick to squash the bacon flat. Cook until golden and very crispy – about 4 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

Make SMC Sauce: In a medium saucepan, add the butter and set over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt, then sprinkle with the flour and stir with a whisk. Cook over low heat until the butter and flour combine into a mixture, like wet sand. Once combined, stir for 1 to 2 minutes to cook the flour (but without adding color). Pour in the milk slowly, whisking to combine. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens up, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the salt, nutmeg and cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside and keep warm until ready to use. Yield: 1 cup.

Make Donkey Sauce: Mix mayonnaise, roasted garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper together until smooth. Yield: about 1 cup.

Make Burgers: Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions (8 ounces each) and form into 4 tight balls. Season all over with salt. Place in pan (which still has some of the bacon fat on it) and allow to brown for 1 minute. Then flatten with a strong, flat metal spatula – press down with a foil-covered brick on top of it, as well. Flatten to approximately 1/3-inch thickness and continue to press down with the spatula as it cooks. Cook until the burgers develop a crust on the first side, 1 1/2 minutes. Flip over and cook on the second side to develop a crust on that side, 1 minute. Add 2 ounces SMC Sauce and top with a slice of cheese. Add a splash of the chicken stock and water mixture to the pan and immediately place a dome lid over the top of the burger to trap the steam. Allow to cook for 1 minute and allow cheese to melt then remove dome and set burger aside. Brush the cut sides of the buns lightly with the garlic butter. Toast the buns in the pan until golden, about 30 seconds on each side.

To assemble: Smear the Donkey Sauce on the cut side of both bun halves. Layer the base with pickle slices and onions. Top with the hamburger patty. Top with a bacon “pig patty” and SMC Sauce. Top with tomato slices and lettuce. Place the top half of the bun on top.

Click here for more information about Guy's Burger Joint and to see all the 14 ships this popular casual restaurants resides at. If you find yourself on a Carnival cruise that offers this delicious treat, do yourself a favor and make it your first stop at sea!

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