7 Exotic Cheeseburger Ideas

As the song goes, “I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French-fried potatoes” The cheeseburger has been an American staple since the 20’s.  At its heart, a simple meat patty with a slice of cheese on top.  At its most glamorous, the sky’s the limit for gourmet cheeses, restaurant-ground meats, and special buns.  Before you get out your charbroiler, consider some of these ingredients to spice up your next burger.

5 out of the 7 most expensive burgers in America come with truffles.  They’re used as garnish, cooked inside of the burger, put around the burger, or used as truffle oil.  Basically, nothing says extravagance like having truffles on the burger.

Foie gras’ flavor has been described as decadent, buttery, and creamy.  Duck liver has long been known as a delicacy, so what better use for it than to put on the tastiest of cheeseburgers?  There’s nothing which can compare.

Want to get the best of both worlds with your sweet and savory?  Instead of your standard poppy or sesame seed bun, try using a standard doughnut instead of a bun.  Split it in half and hope that it’s sturdy enough to hold the patty. If it fails, it’ll still be tasty.

I got the oddest look when I told my friends that I’d had a peanut butter burger in New Orleans.  Peanut butter burgers are marvelously decadent. My mouth is watering just thinking about the mix of that little bit of the char from the charbroiler with the creaminess of the peanut butter.

Mix a good pale ale into the burger meat, and you’ve got a masterpiece.  The extra liquid will make your burger just that much juicier, practically making it melt in your mouth.  Of course you could do this with any quality beer. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to taste some sweeter meat, try using a fruit lambic marinade before throwing it onto the burger cooking range.

Not your traditional ingredient for a cheeseburger, but when you combine it when a sharp cheese or something with a lot of flavor, it tempers the palate.  When you’re thinking about your next topping, try a little homemade jam and see if you enjoy it.

Maybe a little breakfast burger is your style?  You can turn burger time into a breakfast sensation by putting a bit of crushed Captain Crunch or other cereal into the burger mix.  It’s adventurous, and sure to throw any diet out the window.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed our trip through some of the craziest cheeseburger ingredients on the planet.   There’s nothing plain about cheeseburgers made with these. Fire up your grill and give them a try!

Thanks go out to The Culinary Geek on Flickr for the Creative Commons use of the picture.