Cheeseburger Buns

Fourth of July fell on Thursday and I spent it quietly — ribs on the smoker starting at six in the morning, the property still cool at that hour, the smoke building slowly over eight hours while I went about the day's tasks between basting visits. Ted came over at four with Patricia and the boys and David, and we ate on the porch in the evening with the fireflies starting in the lower field and the distant sound of the town fireworks reaching us about nine o'clock. Owen asked me what wood I had used for the smoke and I told him cherry, which is my choice for pork — it burns mild and the smoke is sweet and slightly fruity in a way that complements the fat of the ribs without overwhelming it. He wrote this down in a small notebook he has apparently started carrying, which made me set down my rib and look at him for a moment. He noticed and said, slightly defensively, that he was keeping track of what I told him. I told him that was the best thing he could possibly be doing.

The first of the Brandywine tomatoes are sizing up — three of them on the lead plant, still green but large and promising, the shoulders beginning to show the slight ribbing that tells me the fruit is developing correctly. The Cherokee Purple plants are covered in green fruit at every stage. The Aunt Ruby's German Green are just beginning to set. I stand at the row every morning with my coffee and evaluate the progress, which is a form of optimism I practice without embarrassment.

I posted a short piece about smoker management for the Fourth — specifically the counterintuitive principle that you do not want maximum smoke, you want a thin blue smoke rather than a heavy white or gray smoke, because thin blue smoke carries flavor and heavy smoke carries bitterness. The principle took me years to internalize when I started smoking meat and I find it useful to say directly because most beginners make the more-smoke-is-better error. The post got reshared fairly widely and I had several comments from people who said they had been making that mistake for years and finally understood why their ribs were always slightly bitter. Useful information, plainly stated, is one of the most valuable things a cooking blog can offer.

The ribs were the main event that evening, and Owen’s notebook made me think about the value of writing things down — not just smoker temperatures and wood choices, but the simple recipes that hold a gathering together around the edges. These cheeseburger buns are exactly that kind of recipe: the sort of thing you make for the boys when the long cook is already underway and you need something that comes together quickly, travels well to the porch, and disappears fast. Patricia asked for the recipe before she left, which is the only endorsement that matters.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (16 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits)
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Brown the beef. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until no pink remains — about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
Season the filling. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes until everything is combined and the mixture tightens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the shredded cheddar.
Flatten the biscuits. Separate the biscuit dough into 8 rounds. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each round into a circle roughly 5 inches in diameter.
Fill and seal. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the beef filling in the center of each dough round. Fold the edges up and over the filling, pinching firmly to seal into a smooth ball. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
Apply egg wash. Brush the tops of each bun with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the buns are deep golden brown and cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheeseburger Buns — When the Smoker’s Going and the Family Shows Up