Peanut Butter Cheeseburger + Fried Egg
That's right. Peanut Butter Cheeseburger.
I think it’s a good idea to warn you that this post is a little unusual. It is far from healthy and possibly quite unusual to some. Let’s just say you’ll have to have a little extra trust that I wouldn’t steer you in the wrong direction.
OK...moving on.
Brad grew up here in Colorado and I grew up in Minnesota, which often leads to the question, “So how did you two meet?” Long story short, we met in the lovely, picturesque town of Decorah in northeastern Iowa. We both attended Luther College and, after 3 years of failed relationships there, we had sworn off dating all together. As cliché as it sounds, that is when we found each other. Brad threw a frisbee that went astray on the library lawn. It landed at my feet. I threw it back. And that was the beginning.
Neither of us were looking to get into a relationship, but it happened.
I’m pretty sure peanut butter hamburgers have a similar story. Two things that come from two different places manage to come together to make something that, in the end, makes perfect sense. You might be concerned. Perhaps you think I’m trying to trick you into trying something for a TV show featuring crazy food. Please believe me when I say that this combination of peanut butter, ground beef, and a fried egg is nothing short of wonderful.
Here’s the best way to think about it: Asian peanut sauce is made with peanut butter. Then, chicken or beef are dipped into it making a delicious dish from south Asia. So, really, this isn’t that weird.
I had my first peanut butter burger at a little restaurant called T-Bock’s in our college town of Decorah. All of my friends knew exactly what it was. One of them ordered the peanut burger topped with a fried egg and the restaurant eventually named after him, calling it the “Gilmore”.
Brad and I often reminisce about the days when we would go to T-Bock’s and eat a Gilmore burger with a tall, cool Blue Moon. One day we realized that we didn’t have to wait until our next Iowa trip to enjoy the peanut buttery, beefy goodness. Duh. We could make it at home! We used natural peanut butter, sharp cheddar cheese, and of course added a fried egg. Here’s the secret: you must use the cheese to hold the melty peanut butter in place. Yes, you could skip it, but you’ll have a runny mess on your hands. And you’re already going all out so you might as well add cheese. And maybe some bacon. Am I right?
I’m sharing this recipe with you because I don’t think it is fair to keep such a delicious treat a secret any longer. Be brave. Be bold. Try this out the next time you grill. You won’t be sorry!
Peanut Butter Cheeseburger + Fried Egg
Makes 4 burgers
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
- 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter (we used JIFF Natural PB, but try to find a brand that is creamy not hard)
- 4 slices sharp cheddar or American cheese
- 4 slices cooked, thick cut bacon
- 4 kaiser rolls
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Prepare your burgers as directed in the link above, or use your usual method and place them over medium coals.
- After about 3 or 4 minutes, flip the burgers and spoon 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in the middle of each patty.
- Next, place the cheese slices over the peanut butter. The cheese will melt, creating a peanut butter 'pocket' of sorts, holding the melted peanut butter in place.
- Cook the burgers until desired doneness.
- Meanwhile, brush the kaiser rolls with the olive oil and toast on a cooler section of the grill for a minute or two until they are golden and have nice grill marks but are not burned.
- Fry the eggs over medium heat until the whites are set but the yolks are runny.
- Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper, then place them on top of the cheese on each burger.
- Top with the bacon.
- Serve the burgers on the toasted kaiser rolls and enjoy!
Notes: We use a method from America's Test Kitchen to grill our burgers. Click here if you'd like to sign up (for FREE) which I highly recommend doing. You have unlimited access to their recipes, which are excellent.
