Tonight we are making a juicy steak house cheeseburger with sauteed onion and mushrooms…. and a tangy homemade steak sauce. This steak sauce is half-way between BBQ sauce and A-1 steak sauce in my mind. Not too sweet and not too salty. I love the flavor it brings to a burger, without being overwhelming. A perfect complement to any burger…. or steak for that matter! Make the sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge for 30 days.
To build a great burger I always go with 80/20 or 85/15 Ground Chuck from the actual butcher counter at the grocery store. If you just buy “ground beef”, you are not sure what you are actually getting. Go with the ground chuck for burgers and you will not be disappointed.
My standard burger is seasoned with seasoned salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. You do not need a lot of the seasoned salt, just a light dusting on each side. I am a pepper fanatic, so I go a little heavier on the ground pepper. Press down with your hands after seasoning, so it sticks to meat when on the grill. When grilling cheeseburgers, always butter your bun before toasting on the grill. The added texture of a toasted bun goes a long way, telling your guests you know what you are doing on the grill.
Grilling Setup: I grill burgers over high heat. Temperature on the grill being above 500 degree. For 1/3 to 1/2 lb burgers, I shoot for 5 minutes a side. Then I flip one more time at the end before cheese to shed any excess burger juice.
When assembling, experiment with different techniques. I like to put lettuce beneath the bun, to keep it from getting soggy. Today I used smoked gouda cheese, sauteed mushrooms & onions, and our freshly made Homemade Steak Sauce. This is a two handed burger that will need a few napkins. If you give this a try, let me know how it comes out.
Steak House Burgers with Homemade Steak Sauce
Ingredients
Steak House Burgers
- 2 lbs ground chuck 85/15 or 80/20 grind
- Seasoned Salt
- Ground Pepper
- 4 bakery fresh buns
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Sweet Onion - medium size - sliced 1/4" thick
- 8 oz white button mushrooms - sliced 1/4" thick
- 4 oz smoked gouda cheese slices 4 slices
- 4 oz Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce
- 4 oz of homemade steak sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Instructions
Pull ground chuck out of fridge while sauteing mushrooms and onions
- Slice and butter the buns.
- Heat skillet to medium heat and add olive oil
- Preheat your grill to high heat while you cook the mushrooms and onions. Temperature should be over 500 degrees.
Add onions to pan and saute for 10 min
- Add mushrooms and saute for 5 min
Reduce heat to lowest setting while grilling
- Form four 1/2 lb burgers. Burgers should be 1/2" thick. If they are too thick they will end up like meatballs.
- Season both sides of burgers with seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper
Grill burgers for 5 minutes a side, flipping once. Press on the middle of the burger with you finger to get a feel for doneness. Burgers should be slightly firm in the center. Internal temperature should be around 135 F for a nice medium to medium rare burger.
Add cheese to burgers and place buns on the grill to toast them. Close the grill for 30 sec or so and you should be done!
- Remove and assemble burgers.
Classic Steak Sauce
Ingredients
Steak Sauce
- 1/2 Spanish Onion Chopped
- 1 Large Clove Garlic
- 1 1/4 Cup Beef Stock
- 1 8 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Ground Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Instructions
- Heat a small sauce pan to medium temperature
- Add Olive Oil and saute chopped onion for 10 minutes
- Add garlic - saute for 2 min
- Add beef stock, tomato sauce, worcestershire, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, black pepper, and brown sugar
- Simmer for 30 minutes or reduced by 1/2
Let cool and blend with an immersion blender or standard blender. Taste and add additional salt & pepper to taste.
- Store in refrigerator for 30 days
3 thoughts on “Steak House Burger & Steak Sauce”
Damn, this was good. By far the best burger I’ve made in a long time. The smoked gouda cheese was incredible. I can’t wait to make the sauce to take it to the next level. The only things I did different here is add a little sugar to the onions and used lettuce as my bun.
Thanks man… I’ll try to keep them coming
I went with the ground chuck on Saturday night – didn’t notice much of a difference. Both the ground beef and ground chuck were grass fed.