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Make the Best Smash Burger Recipe (Toast the Buns in Mayo) | Exmark

by Exmark

There are two ways to know family’s coming over: the lawn gets a fresh set of stripes and the griddle gets hot. When Ben Palmer’s brother—a fellow lawn guy—requested smash burgers for a family dinner, that meant first firing up the Exmark Radius X-Series to lay down the stripes. Then, it’s all eyes on the flattop. In this Backyard Life video, the pitmaster behind Grill This Smoke That shows that a great smash burger recipe doesn’t come down to a secret ingredient. It starts with sequence: what goes on the griddle first, when to smash, when to flip, and why a clean, dry cooking surface is the difference between a gray patty and a deep brown crust.

Bacon Goes Down First

Every good griddle cook starts with a plan, and this one starts with bacon—mainly because it takes the longest. Ben loads the griddle down with strips, gives them a flip once they’re about halfway done, and pulls them off to the side when they’re finished.

There’s a bonus at work here, too. All that rendered bacon fat seasons the surface for everything that follows.

Toast the Buns and Grill the Onions

Here’s a tip worth stealing even if you’ve decided to make grilled cheese instead: skip the butter and spread mayo on the cut side of your buns before they hit the griddle.

Mayonnaise is mostly oil and egg, which means it browns evenly, resists burning better than butter, and builds a crust on the bun that butter can’t match. You won’t taste mayo on the finished burger—just a toasted, golden face on the bun that holds up against juicy patties and condiments. Ben gets the buns toasting, and once they’ve built that crust, he moves them off to the side.

As he says, some people want fresh onion on a burger, but he prefers his grilled. And sweet Vidalia onions that’ve spent a few minutes on a bacon-seasoned griddle are a different experience: softer, sweeter, and built to melt into the patty rather than crunch on top of it.

He gets them down while the buns finish toasting. By the time the griddle is prepped for burgers, they’re right where he wants them.

Scrape Clean & Start Burger Smashing

Before any beef touches the surface, Ben scrapes the griddle as clean as he can get it. Then he goes one step further and dries up the excess oil.

Then, he portions his beef into 3-ounce balls. Ground chuck is the standard here, though he likes to blend bacon into the beef, too. He places the balls on the griddle and smashes them flat with his burger press. The technique makes the patty: press and hold for about 5 or 6 seconds to set the crust, then twist the press and slide it to the side so it releases clean instead of tearing the surface you just worked to create.

Once the whole round is smashed, he hits the patties with a coarse seasoning—salt, pepper, and garlic—then watches the meat. When the juices rise up through the patties, they’re ready to flip. Ben stresses using the edge of the spatula to scrape up the burgers during the flip, because all that browned crust formed against the griddle needs to come up with the patty.

Right after the flip, the cheese goes down, and Ben breaks from smash burger orthodoxy here, passing on American for Colby Jack. By the time the cheese melts, the burgers are done. He pulls them off and scrapes the griddle clean before the next round, so every batch sears as well as the first.

Build the Smash Burger

Once the patties are grilled, Ben gets to building the burgers. Here’s how he builds his from bottom to top: Toasted bun, ketchup, lettuce, two patties with cheese, three strips of bacon for full coverage, four pickles, mustard, top bun.

As he jokes, if you stack it right it looks like a burger straight out of a commercial. Paired with a perfectly striped lawn and the whole family at the table, it’s the perfect dinner.

Griddle Smash Burgers with Mayo-Toasted Buns

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Ingredients

  • Burgers

  • 1½ pounds ground chuck, portioned into eight 3-ounce balls (or ground beef with bacon ground in)

  • Salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning

  • 8 slices Colby Jack cheese

  • The Build

  • 4 burger buns

  • Mayonnaise, for toasting

  • 12 strips bacon

  • 1 sweet Vidalia onion, sliced

  • Ketchup

  • Mustard

  • Lettuce

  • 16 pickle slices (4 per burger)

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Directions

  • Preheat the griddle. Lay the bacon down first—it takes the longest. Flip when it’s about halfway done, then remove and set aside.
  • Spread mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns. Toast on the griddle until a golden crust forms, then move them off.
  • Griddle the sliced Vidalia onions until soft and lightly charred. Set aside.
  • Scrape the griddle as clean as possible and dry up excess oil. The surface should be clean, hot, and dry before smashing.
  • Place the beef balls on the griddle and smash flat with a press. Press and hold for 5–6 seconds, then twist the press and slide it off to the side.
  • Season the patties with coarse salt, pepper, and garlic.
  • When the juices rise through the patties, flip using the edge of your spatula to scrape up all the crust with each patty.
  • Immediately add one slice of Colby Jack per patty. When the cheese melts, the burgers are done. Remove from the griddle.
  • Scrape the griddle clean between rounds so each batch sears like the first. Repeat until all patties are cooked.
  • Build each burger: toasted bun, ketchup, lettuce, two patties with cheese, three strips of bacon, four pickles, mustard, top bun.

Frequently Asked Questions

Grilling brings out more flavor in sweet Vidalia onions than they have raw, letting them melt into the patty instead of adding a raw crunch on top. Cooking them on a bacon-seasoned griddle also picks up extra flavor from the fat left behind by the bacon.

Ground chuck, portioned into 3-ounce balls. Chuck carries enough fat to stay juicy in a thin patty and enough beefy flavor to stand up to the hard sear.

Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil and egg, so it spreads evenly, browns uniformly, and resists burning at griddle temperatures where butter scorches. The result is a crisper, more even golden crust on the bun, and no detectable mayo flavor on the finished burger.

Press and hold for about 5 or 6 seconds to set the crust, then twist the press and slide it sideways off the patty. The twist breaks the bond between the beef and the press so it releases clean instead of tearing the patty apart.

Watch for the juices to rise up through the top of the patty—that’s your cue. Then flip with the edge of your spatula doing real work: scrape hard along the griddle so the entire browned crust releases with the patty. That crust is where the flavor lives, and a lazy flip leaves it behind.

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How to Make the Best Smoked Ribs Recipe (Skip the 3-2-1 Method)

by Benton Palmer

If you’ve spent a full Saturday committed to the 3-2-1 method, you know the math: three hours of smoke, two hours wrapped, one hour to finish. Six hours. That’s a long time to watch a smoker, and Ben Palmer argues that’s longer than it needs to be. In this Backyard Life video, the pitmaster behind Grill This Smoke That and Exmark ambassador shows that the best smoked ribs recipe doesn’t require a full-day commitment.  With the right rub, a butter bath pourover, and a dialed-in temperature strategy, you can put some of the best ribs you’ve ever made on the table in about 3.5 hours and still have time to stripe the lawn while they cook.

Start With the Membrane

The first thing that separates good ribs from great ones isn’t what you add to them, like the rub or the smoke. It’s what you remove before any of that happens: the membrane on the bone side.

The membrane doesn’t break down during cooking the way the surrounding meat does—it stays tough, fights every bite, and blocks the rub from doing its job. Ben says to get a corner started, grab a paper towel for grip, and pull it free in one clean strip. If it tears, go back and get the rest. Thirty seconds of work, and the finished rib is a completely different eating experience.

Build Your Rub in Layers

Before seasoning, Ben adds a binder. Yellow mustard works well—it won’t leave any trace of mustard flavor on the finished ribs, but it gives the rub something to grip. Without it, you’ll lose seasoning every time you handle the rack.

For the rub, think in layers. Start with an all-purpose barbecue base, then add something with sweetness on top. A rub with honey powder does double duty: it builds color as it cooks and rounds out the savory notes underneath. Apply the same process to both sides.

Once the racks are seasoned, get them into the fridge. They can sit for up to 24 hours, but even an hour makes a real difference—it gives the rub time to set and gives you the window to fire up the smoker and dial it in.

The Temperature Strategy

This is where Ben’s method earns its keep. Instead of locking in at one temperature and waiting, he runs a two-phase approach that gets the cook moving fast before settling into a longer, low smoke.

Start at 275°F—bone side down on the bottom rack—for the first hour. That initial higher heat sets the bark faster and gets smoke working into the meat right away. After that first hour, flip the racks meat side down, move them to the top rack, and drop the temperature to 225°F. An hour later, flip them meat side up again and rotate positions in the smoker for even cooking.

Make the Pourover While the Lawn Gets Done

As Ben says, one of the best things about smoking meat is what it frees you up to do while it’s happening. After the first rotation, you can hop on your Exmark Radius X-Series and get the lawn striped while the ribs do their thing.

And right after that, put together the butter bath pourover: half a stick of butter, two cups of apple juice, and about a tablespoon each of the rubs you used. Set it in the smoker to melt and heat up.

Knowing When to Wrap

Watch the bones. When they start to protrude from the meat, the ribs are close—and that’s your cue to wrap.

Lay out two sheets of heavy-duty foil. Place each rack meat side down, pull the edges up to hold the liquid, and pour about half the butter bath over each rack. Wrap them tight (no gaps) and get them back on the smoker for another 30 minutes.

The Finish

After 30 minutes wrapped, Ben says to pull them open. If you want to sauce the ribs, this is your window. Otherwise, brush a layer of the butter bath right across the top and get them back on the smoker uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Then, pull a bone from the middle to check your work. A clean smoke ring and juicy meat that holds together without falling completely apart means you did it right. After that, all there’s left to do is throw them on the board and call everyone over to enjoy the ribs (and the freshly cut lawn).

<strong>Smoked Ribs with Butter Bath Pourover</strong>

Cooking time

3.5 Hours

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Ingredients

  • Ribs

  • 2 racks of pork spare ribs or St. Louis–style ribs

  • Yellow mustard (binder)

  • 3–4 tablespoons all-purpose barbecue rub

  • 3–4 tablespoons honey powder rub (or sweet rub of choice)

  •  Butter Bath Pourover

  • ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

  • 2 cups apple juice

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose barbecue rub

  • 1 tablespoon honey powder rub

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Directions

  • Remove the membrane from the bone side of each rack. Start at one corner, use a paper towel for grip, and pull it free. Remove remaining strips, if any.
  • Apply binder. Coat both sides of each rack with a thin layer of yellow mustard.
  • Season in layers. Apply the all-purpose barbecue rub as a base coat on both sides, then follow with the honey powder rub on top.
  • Rest. Refrigerate the seasoned racks for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
  • Fire the smoker to 275°F.
  • First hour: Place ribs bone side down on the bottom rack. Smoke at 275°F for 1 hour.
  • Rotate. After 1 hour, flip ribs meat side down, move to the top rack, and reduce smoker temperature to 225°F. Smoke for 1 more hour.
  • Make the pourover. Combine butter, apple juice, and rubs in a small pot. Set in the smoker to melt and warm.
  • Flip again. After that hour, flip ribs meat side up and rotate positions in the smoker for even cooking. Continue at 225°F, checking periodically.
  • Wrap. When bones begin to protrude from the meat, pull the racks. Place each meat side down on two sheets of heavy-duty foil. Pull up the edges, pour half the butter bath over each rack, and wrap tightly. Return to smoker for 30 minutes.
  • Unwrap the ribs. Brush the remaining butter bath across the top. Return to smoker uncovered for 15–20 minutes.
  • Pull a center bone to check doneness, then serve if ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 3-2-1 method (three hours of smoke, two hours wrapped, one hour to finish) takes six hours and can produce ribs that fall apart too easily, losing the bite that competition-style ribs are known for. Ben Palmer’s method delivers the same flavor in about 3.5 hours by using a two-phase temperature strategy (275°F for the first hour, then 225°F) and a shorter wrap time of 30 minutes.

A minimum of one hour, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. The rest period gives the rub time to bind with the surface of the meat and allows the salt in the seasoning to start working into the protein. An hour makes a real difference; overnight is even better if you have the time.

The membrane on the bone side is a thin layer of connective tissue that doesn’t break down the way the surrounding meat does. It stays tough through the whole cook, creates a barrier that blocks flavor penetration, and makes the finished rib harder to pull clean.

It helps the rub stick to the surface of the meat instead of falling off during handling and cooking. The mustard flavor itself disappears once the heat hits it, you won’t taste it in the finished ribs. Any thin, water-based binder works similarly, but yellow mustard is the most common and easiest to apply evenly.

This recipe uses a two-phase approach: 275°F for the first hour, then 225°F for the rest of the cook. Dropping to 225°F after that keeps the ribs cooking gently without drying them out.

Watch the bones. As the meat contracts during cooking, the ends of the rack will start to protrude. That’s the clearest visual cue that the ribs have taken enough smoke and are ready for the wrap.

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Wagyu Street Tacos With Greg Mrvich

by Greg Mrvich

There are very few meals that complement every season of the backyard life quite like a taco. They’re versatile, easy to make, and just taste downright great, no matter the event. So, join in as Ballistic BBQ’s Greg Mrvich throws down on the griddle and ups the ante on a humble recipe with his delicious Wagyu street tacos.

Asian-inspired Barbeque Sauce

To kick off this cook, Mrvich concocts his personal yankiniku spinoff—a savory Japanese barbeque dipping sauce. And the ingredients are simple—it’s a quick blend of soy sauce, mirin (a type of Japanese rice wine), grapefruit juice, and grated garlic and ginger. To get a really fine grate on both, Greg recommends using a microplane, which is finer-bladed than your traditional box grater.

Next, he adds in some white sugar and gochujang—a moderately spicy and earthy Korean fermented chili pepper paste which elevates any meal. Then, he tosses in sesame oil, whisks the ingredients together, and places the sauce over heat for about two to three minutes. (Or, just enough time to infuse the ginger root and garlic.) Finally, he whisks in toasted white sesame seeds and sets the sauce aside to cool, allowing all the flavors to really blend.

Asian-Inspired Dressing and Slaw

While the barbeque sauce is cooling, Greg gets to work on creating the Asian dressing and slaw to top off his Wagyu street tacos. The slaw is a simple combination of olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, and toasted black sesame seeds, which add the perfect contract to the white sesame seeds in the sauce.

After whisking the dressing together, Greg combines finely-shredded purple cabbage and very finely-shredded white cabbage in a bowl, drizzles on the dressing, and gives it a shake until fully combined. The idea behind this combo is to enhance the flavors of the taco, all while letting the Wagyu shine. He says this mixture adds the perfect crispy, acidic taste that both complements and cuts right through the richness of the Wagyu, thanks to the vinegar.

Grilling Up the Wagyu

Now’s the time to start on this meal’s namesake—the Wagyu! For this cook, he’s using a 15-ounce New York strip, A5 Wagyu beef straight from Japan. While there might be a million-and-one Wagyu steak cook videos out there, the fact he’s making A5 tacos make this cook one-in-a-million.

Greg sprinkles on a little kosher salt and throws the meat straight on the griddle, set to medium-high heat. Since the steak is pretty thin (just about a half inch), he’s grilling it for about two minutes per side until medium-rare.

After the meat’s been grilled, he gets to work on the tortillas! Normally, for street tacos, he’d opt for corn tortillas, be he really wants to let the Wagyu shine. So, he ‘s using small, street taco-sized flour tortillas. He just drops some of the reserve Wagyu fat on the griddle, throws the tortillas on, and flips them until they have a nice toast on both sides.

Serving the Wagyu Street Tacos

After the cook’s all wrapped up, now comes the fun part: plating (and then eating, of course). First things first, he throws some chopped-up Wagyu beef on the tortillas and drizzles on the homemade sauce. He then layers on some slaw and sprinkles on more black sesame seeds for a finishing touch.

That’s it! While this certainly isn’t your standard street taco, the inclusion of Wagyu make it worthy of even the highest-end chophouse menu. Mrvich calls it a “novelty” recipe, but one that pays respect to the meat and is bound to impress any guests you might have over, regardless of the occasion.

Wagyu Street Tacos With Greg Mrvich
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Wagyu Street Tacos With Greg Mrvich

Wagyu Street Tacos Ingredients

  • Japanese-inspired Dipping Sauce

  • ¼ cup Soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp Mirin

  • 1 tbsp Grapefruit Juice

  • 1 clove Garlic (finely grated)

  • 1 tsp Ginger (grated)

  • 1 tsp Gochujang

  • 1 tbsp White sugar

  • 2 tsp Sesame oil

  • 1 tsp Toasted sesame seeds (white)

  • Asian Slaw Dressing

  • ½ cup Olive oil

  • 2 tbsp Soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp Rice vinegar

  • 1 tbsp Mirin

  • 2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp White sugar

  • 1 tbsp Toasted black sesame seeds

  • Asian Slaw

  • 1 cup Purple cabbage (finely shredded)

  • 1 cup White cabbage (finely shredded)

  • Wagyu Street Tacos

  • 15 oz Wagyu New York strip steak

  • Kosher salt

  • Small flour tortillas

  • Reserved Wagyu fat

Wagyu Street Tacos Steps

  • Make the Dipping sauce
  • In a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, grapefruit juice, grated garlic, and grated ginger.
  • Add the gochujang, white sugar, and sesame oil.
  • Heat the mixture over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking continuously until the sugar and gochujang are dissolved and garlic and ginger are infused.
  • Once the sauce is ready, stir in the toasted sesame seeds. Set the sauce aside to cool.
  • Prep the Asian Slaw Dressing
  • In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, white sugar, and toasted black sesame seeds until well combined.
  • Make the Slaw
  • In a large bowl, combine the shredded purple and white cabbage.
  • Lightly dress the cabbage with the Asian slaw dressing. Toss the slaw gently until evenly coated and set aside.
  • Cook the Wagyu Steak
  • Preheat griddle or skillet to medium-high heat.
  • Season the Wagyu steak with kosher salt.
  • Cook the steak for about 2 minutes per side until medium-rare. (NOTE: the steak should be about ½ in.-thick.)
  • Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for a few minutes.
  • Slice the steak thinly, trimming off excess fat if desired.
  • Assemble and Serve
  • Heat the flour tortillas on the griddle using reserved Wagyu fat until warm and slightly crispy.
  • Place a few slices of Wagyu steak on top.
  • Spread a small amount of the homemade dipping sauce on each tortilla.
  • Add a spoonful of the Asian slaw on top of the steak.
  • Garnish with additional sesame seeds, if desired.
  • Serve the tacos immediately while warm.

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David Bancroft’s Iron Chef Hot-Honey Ribs

by David Bancroft

As a James Beard-nominated chef, it’s safe to say that Exmark Ambassador David Bancroft knows a thing or two (or three) about whipping up a mean rack of ribs. In fact, his ribs helped propel him to victory on Food Network’s Iron Chef Showdown in 2018. So, follow along in this Backyard Life article as the champ dishes out his Iron Chef Hot-Honey Ribs, complete with pecan streusel crumble.  

Kicking off the Cook

To start this Iron Chef recipe, David preheats his smoker to 225° F, and gets to work on his homemade dry rub. The rub is a simple combination of chili and garlic powder, cumin, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Once he’s combined the spices in a bowl, he generously seasons the ribs and moves them straight to the smoker rack.

For the best results, Bancroft says to leave the ribs on the rack for about two and a half to three hours (or until tender). Then, remove the ribs from the smoker, wrap them in foil, and let them rest for 20 minutes. 

Putting the “Hot Honey” in Hot-Honey Ribs

After throwing his ribs on the smoker, David starts on his custom hot-honey sauce. (It wouldn’t be a “hot-honey ribs” recipe without the “hot-honey,” after all!) Even better, this part of the cook really allows you to make it your own. Bancroft says you can use whatever hot sauce suits your fancy. All you have to do is whisk a cup of your favorite hot sauce with a cup of honey! It’s really that simple.

Concocting the Pecan Streusel

When baking up his pecan streusel, Bancroft has a few words of advice. First and foremost, he says not to over-mix the ingredients in the food processor. You want it to be nice, crumbly, and light. Over-mixing it will create an extra crisp and compact mixture that doesn’t have nearly as great a texture or flavor. And, while the streusel is baking in the oven, make sure to stir it every five minutes to keep it from burning. While he recommends a baking time of 20 to 30 minutes, he says you’ll know it’s ready when it has a nice golden-brown finish.

Plating the Hot-Honey Ribs

Once the ribs have been removed from the smoker, glaze whipped up, and streusel baked, it’s nearly time to dig in! But first, David says to slice the racks into individual bones to maximize the coverage of glaze and streusel. Then, simply layer on the glaze, liberally sprinkle on the streusel, and serve immediately. Your friends and family are bound to be left wondering if you’ve won a competition or two with this mouthwatering cook.

David Bancroft’s Iron Chef Hot-Honey Ribs
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David Bancroft’s Iron Chef Hot-Honey Ribs

Serves

4-8

people

Iron Chef Hot-Honey ribs Ingredients

  • Iron Chef Ribs

  • 2 racks St. Louis style ribs

  • Dry Rub

  • 1 tbsp. Chili powder

  • 1 tbsp. Garlic powder

  • 1 tsp. Cumin

  • 1 tsp. Thyme

  • 2 tsp. Brown sugar

  • 1 tbsp. Salt

  • 1 tsp. Black pepper

  • Hot-Honey Sauce

  • 1 cup Hot sauce (your preference)

  • 1 cup Honey

  • Pecan Streusel

  • 1½ cups Pecans

  • 1 cup Brown sugar

  • ½ cup Sugar

  • 3 oz. Flour

  • 1 tbsp. Kosher salt

  • 3 oz. Cold butter

Iron Chef Hot-Honey ribs STEps

  • Dry Rub and Hot-Honey Sauce
  • Combine the dry rub spices in a small bowl and season the ribs generously.
  • Then, combine the hot-honey sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Set it aside.
  • Iron Chef Ribs
  • Preheat your smoker to 225° F.
  • Place seasoned ribs on smoker rack and allow it to cook for two and a half to three hours, or until tender.
  • Remove ribs from smoker and wrap in foil. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
  • Pecan Streusel
  • Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
  • Pulse all ingredients—except butter—in food processor until a crumble forms. (Do not over-mix.)
  • Remove the crumble from the processor, pour into a bowl, and mix in the butter by hand.
  • Spoon the crumble onto a sheet tray and place in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to ensure the outsides don’t burn.
  • Once cooked evenly to a golden brown, remove the streusel from the oven and let it cool at room temperature.
  • Plating
  • Remove the ribs from the foil and slice into individual bones.
  • Glaze the freshly cooked ribs with hot-honey sauce and sprinkle on the streusel liberally. Serve immediately!

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Greg Mrvich’s Copycat Le Barchen Mac Wagyu Burger

by Greg Mrvich

In this Backyard Life video, join Ballistic BBQ’s Greg Mrvich as he cooks his copycat Le Barchen Mac Wagyu burger. This recipe is based off a mouthwatering burger from the famous Barchen Beer Garden in Omaha, Nebraska—just 90 minutes away from Exmark HQ in Beatrice!

Mrvich’s Mac Sauce Steps

To kick off this cook, Greg throws together his Mac sauce (which he calls an elevated Big Mac sauce). He places the ingredients in a bowl, with the melted beef Wagyu fat last, and starts mixing immediately. This ensures that the tallow fully emulsifies into the sauce, creating a rich flavor to kick the burger up a notch. Once finished, he sets aside the sauce and gets started on the main part of the cook: the meat.

Grinding the Meat

But before he gets started forming the patties, Mrvich clarifies that his recipe slightly deviates from the real deal. Barchen Beer Garden uses straight American Wagyu for their dish, but he’s using a custom grind of Japanese A5 chuck steak and American Wagyu. He calls his American Wagyu an “ugly cut,” which is simply an end trimming off a rib roast. But for the purposes of making ground beef, it’s perfect.

After Greg hammers out the patty details, he cuts the meat into more manageable cubes and breaks out the grinder, utilizing a coarse chili grind plate. It creates the perfect, chunky texture that you just don’t get from store-bought ground Wagyu (which tends to be too thin and pasty for his liking).

Then, Greg adds the Japanese A5 alongside the Wagyu, chunk by chunk, to ensure they’re fully mixed. Once fully ground, it’s time to grill!

Grilling and Plating the Le Barchen Mac Wagyu Burger

Before setting the meat on the griddle (running at medium high) Mrvich creates two, loosely packed meatballs. He then tosses them on the griddle and flattens them with a spatula, forming thin patties.

While the first side of the patties start to grill, Greg sprinkles on some salt and throws a spoonful of Wagyu beef tallow on one side of the griddle. He also adds the buns to the flat top, adding a nice toast to the bread.

After flipping over the patties, he tops both with a slice of American yellow cheese and encloses them in a griddle dome. He keeps it on just until the cheese is melted, and the patties are cooked through.

Once cooked, now the fun begins: plating. Mrvich takes the bottom bun and throws on a bed of iceberg lettuce. He then tops it with both patties, a couple of his homemade pickles, and some paper-thin red onion rings. He finishes off this cook with the top bun, which he’s spread with his delicious Mac sauce.

And that’s it! Now that you have your own Le Barchen Mac Wagyu burger assembled, all there’s left to do is chow down.

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Greg Mrvich’s Copycat Le Barchen Mac Wagyu Burger

Le Barchen Mac Wagyu Burger Ingredients

  • 8 oz. Japanese A5 chuck steak

  • 8 oz. American Wagyu beef

  • 4-5 Pickle chips

  • 2 slices American yellow cheese

  • Hamburger buns

  • Iceberg Lettuce (shredded)

  • Red onion (thinly sliced)

  • Mac Sauce Ingredients

  • ½ cup Japanese mayo

  • 1 ½ tsp. Sweet pickle relish

  • 1 ½ tsp. Hot German mustard

  • 1 tsp. White sugar

  • ½ tsp. Red wine vinegar

  • ½ tsp. Paprika

  • ½ tsp. Garlic powder

  • ½ tsp. Onion powder

  • 1 tsp. Melted beef Wagyu fat

Le Barchen Mac Wagyu Burger Steps

  • Place all of the Mac sauce ingredients in a bowl, with the melted beef Wagyu fat last, and mix immediately to ensure the tallow emulsifies into the sauce.
  • Cut the Japanese A5 chuck steak and the American Wagyu beef into small cubes.
  • Place the meat into the grinder, adding the Japanese A5 alongside the American Wagyu, chunk by chunk, to ensure they’re fully mixed together.
  • Once ground, form two, loosely packed 4 oz. meatballs.
  • Warm up flat top to medium-high and place the meatballs on the griddle, flattening them with a spatula to form thin patties.
  • Sprinkle salt on both patties and add a spoonful of Wagyu beef tallow to the side.
  • Add buns to the griddle until toasted.
  • Flip over the patties, adding a slice of American cheese to both, and place a griddle dome over them.
  • Remove griddle dome once the cheese is melted and patties are cooked through. Then, remove the patties from the grill.
  • Place iceberg lettuce on the bottom bun and layer on the two patties. Then, add pickles and red onion rings.
  • Spread the Mac sauce on the top bun and place it on the burger to finish the cook.

Notes

  • If you’re making this cook at home, you don’t necessarily need to use Wagyu, but it adds a texture that just can’t be beat.
  • The iceberg lettuce might not add much flavor to the burger, but it adds a lot of texture that elevates the eating experience.
  • The acid from the pickles cuts into the fatty richness of the Wagyu patties.
  • The red onion rings add a crunchy, spicy bite to the burger.

Michael Waddell’s Tasty Elk Chili

by Michael Waddell

Winter is well under way—and so are those blisteringly cold mornings and too-early, frigid nights. What better way to beat that unforgiving weather, or warm up from a day full of hunting ducks and deer, than with a steaming bowl of chili? Join the Bone Collector, Michael Waddell, as he “trespasses” on his wife’s kitchen and whips up his tasty elk chili.

How Waddell Makes His Elk Chili Unique

Waddell jokes that chili is one of the most controversial dishes in the world. There are as many spices as there are options when it comes to making it! He loves his version because it’s cheap, easy to make, and flat-out tastes great. And it’s perfect if you’re looking to feed an army—especially during deer camp.

For this recipe, he uses two pounds of elk burger that he got in Utah, but he says you can use whatever wild game suits your fancy. He prefers elk because it’s lean, tastes more like beef than deer does, and is healthier than plain ground beef.

To really make his elk chili pop, Michael uses a bit of bacon grease from breakfast to brown the meat. He admits any healthiness the elk provides is lost, but it adds a flavor to the chili that just can’t be beat. And, while browning, Waddell warns against wanting to overcook it. He says people tend to overcook wild game, mainly since it’s “dirty” from being exposed to the wilderness. But cooking it rare or medium throws the taste over the top.

Showing that he’s as “country as a chicken coop,” he breaks out his jars of fresh tomatoes that he and his wife canned themselves a while ago. He admits that you can also use store-bought cans of diced tomatoes—but they won’t taste nearly as great as the home-grown stuff.

When it comes to chili spices, there are nearly endless ways to mix and match—and Waddell says you can use whatever you want. But for his recipe, he uses what he calls “the bomb”: a simple packet of French’s Chili-O. Paired with a can of Rotel, some black beans, and onions, it adds that perfect chili taste.

To wrap up this cook, Waddell whips up some instant jasmine and brown rice. When plating, he likes to put down a layer of rice and then spoons some chili on top. It makes for a great, easy alternative to cornbread and helps you get that nice starch fixin’. When it’s all said and done, Waddell says this cook will warm your bones and have you eating like a king.

Michael Waddell's Elk Chili
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Michael Waddell’s Elk Chili

Cuisine: Wild Game, AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Michael loves this version because it’s cheap, easy to make, and flat-out tastes great. Plus, it’s perfect if you’re looking to feed an army—especially during deer camp.

Elk Chili Ingredients

  • 2 cans Diced tomatoes

  • 1 can Rotel

  • 2 small cans Mushrooms

  • 1 can Black beans

  • 1 packet Chili seasoning

  • 1½ – 2 lbs. Elk burger

  • 2 Yellow onions (diced)

  • Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Elk Chili Directions

  • Place the elk burger in a skillet and cook until just browned.
  • Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over meat, to taste.
  • Once meat is browned, drain any excess oil and grease, and add in diced yellow onions. Continue to cook until the onions are soft.
  • Transfer the meat and onions to a large soup pot, and add Rotel, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and black beans. Stir the pot until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
  • Once mixed, stir in the chili seasoning and bring mixture to a simmer until warmed throughout.

Notes

  • For additional flavor, brown your ground elk with a bit of bacon grease.
  • Serve the chili over rice (either jasmine or brown), with a bit of cornbread, or top it off with crackers of your choice.
  • You don’t have to stick with black beans—kidney or pinto beans work just as well.
  • To bring even more flavor out, throw the ingredients into a slow cooker. A slow simmer and all-day cook will work wonders.
  • If you want your elk chili a little soupier—throw a little more water in. Or, if you want it a little thicker—add some flour or cornstarch.

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