How to Make a Teriyaki Burger That You Have Not Seen Before

This is the number one recipe I built this year. A teriyaki burger toned down and rebuilt from the patty up. Pork, not beef, miso in the bind, beni shoga instead of pickles. Okay let's start with the prep. Pour two tablespoons of sake over three tablespoons of panko in a small bowl. Stir and let it sit while you prep the rest. In a second bowl mix the glaze. One and a half tablespoons each of soy sauce, sake and mirin plus one tablespoon of honey. Whisk it together and set it next to the stove. Just so you know I do not use the standard teriyaki ratio here. On my first test batch the standard glaze came in salt first. It felt like a blade so I rewrote it. A burger sauce needs sweetness out front and the honey is the lever that does it. Grate one teaspoon of ginger on your finest grater. Keep it within arm's reach. Prep is ready. Now the meat. Drop 300 grams around 11 ounces of ground pork into a wide bowl. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of white miso paste right on top. Now knead. Push the meat against the salt, fold, squeeze. The salt wakes up myosin in the pork. Your hand braids that protein into a sticky mesh that holds the juice when the heat hits. Pour the soaked panko into the meatball. Knead again until it disappears into the mix. Add a teaspoon of lard and the grated ginger you prepared earlier. Knead one more time. Read the bowl. If the surface looks dry and matte add another half teaspoon of lard and keep going. The meat should look glossy. Cover the bowl and slide into the fridge for 30 minutes. If you're planning ahead you can leave it in the fridge overnight. 30 minutes later pull the ball back out. Rub a thin film of oil onto your palms. Divide the mix in half. Toss each portion back and forth between your hands five or six times to knock the air pockets out. Then close the seams to form each patty. Shape each one a little wider than your bun around 1.5 to 2 centimeters thick which is about three quarters of an inch. Press the dimple into the center of each patty with your thumb. That dimple is what stops the patty from doming up in the pan. Now that's both sides of each patty with about half a tablespoon of potato starch. Top off the excess. The starch is doing two jobs here. It crisps the surface the moment the patty hits hot oil and it acts like a magnet for the glaze later so the sauce clinks instead of sliding off. If you're firing this up on a grill instead skip the starch toast. Brush the patty with oil and lay it directly on a clean grate of medium high heat. We will come back to the glaze move in a minute. Preheat a large skillet of medium heat with two tablespoons of cooking oil. Once the oil shimmers, lay the patties in the pan with a finger of space between them. Do not touch them. Six minutes on the first side. Then flip. Six more minutes on the second. Move the patties to a wire rack to rest. Do not skip the rest. The juice needs a minute to settle back into the meat. In the same skillet which is now slick with the fat the pork left behind, lay the cut sides of two burger buns face down. One minute. That is all it takes. The bread drinks the fat and the juice the patties left in the pan. Pull the buns out before they get too dark. This is the move that makes this burger the kind of indulgence you do not quite want to admit to. Yes it is rich but it is also top shelf and one of those textures you cannot get any other way. Wipe out any leftover fat with a paper towel. Honestly there is almost nothing left because the buns drank it all. Turn the heat down one notch. Pour in the glaze you prepared earlier. Scrape the fond off the bottom of the pan so it melts into the sauce. Keep your eye on this part. The sauce reduces fast and is easy to burn. Move the patties back in the second the glaze coats the back of a spoon. Flip once and coat both sides. Place the bottom bun on a board. Toast this side up. Lay two or three lettuce leaves down first. They double as a moisture barrier and keep the bun from going soggy. Set the glazed patty on the lettuce. The side with heaviest glaze facing up. Dust the top with a little ground white pepper. Now a bit of ginger. A tiny pinch streaked across the middle. That is red pickled ginger. The kind you know from gyudon. Sharp salty. The color of a sunset. For me this is the piece that makes the burger feel truly mine. The bold pink against the dark caramelized glaze. Lay one slice of tomato on top. Five millimeters to one centimeters thick. Smear a thin layer of Japanese mayonnaise. A tiny touch of karashi or yellow mustard stirred in is welcome here too. Spoon any leftover glaze on top of the mayo. Top bun. Toast this side down. Brush gently with your palm. Plate the burger onto your board. Cut it in half with a bread knife and look at the cross section. Pork fat soaked into the bun. Miso mesh holding the juice inside the patty. Benishoga pink against the beautiful caramelized teriyaki glaze. And this is my ultimate teriyaki burger built on layers of Japanese elements. Make this tonight. Google teriyaki burger sudachi for the full printable recipe with exact measurements and timing. Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description. Okay let's go over the ingredients one more time and if you're ready to cook grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen. Tap the recipe card on your screen for the full printable version with exact measurements, every timing and notes for getting each step right. Next week I'm making homemade gyoza wrappers. See you then.