By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 6, it's dinner in Asia!  This burger features the flavors of General Tsao and a Ramen noodle bun.  When you sink your teeth into it, it's kind of like a giant, beefy, egg roll bite! 

The Asian Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground beef
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
• a healthy squirt of sriracha
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• The juice of one lime
• Two packages of Ramen noodles
• One egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup canola oil to fry the Ramen noodles
• One carrot, sliced julienne
• 1/4 cup cabbage, sliced thin
• One green onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, soy sauce, minced onion, minced garlic, brown sugar, pepper flake, sriracha, ginger and lime juice.  Mix until well incorporated and chill for about 2 hours.  While the ground beef is chilling, prepare your Ramen 'buns.'  Cook the noodles per the package instructions.  Pull the noodles from the liquid and chill.  Reserve the liquid for another use.  Once the noodles are cooled and it's getting close to burger readiness time, it's time to make Ramen 'buns.'  Ramen noodle packages are typically separated into two noodle blocks per package, you'll need three blocks to create 'buns' for one burger, a 3-1 ratio.  Mix three blocks with the beaten egg, form into bun size top and bottom portions, keep separated and chill.  When ready, heat up the canola oil in a shallow frying pan and fry the noodles, about two minutes per side.  And surely by now, you've formed the burger patties and grilled the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.   Serve the burgers topped with the sliced carrots, cabbage and green onion (giving you that egg roll kind of bite) with salt and pepper to taste and on the Ramen bun for a FANTASTIC crunch bite!

Did you notice?  There's no cheese on this burger.  Why not?  Because cheese isn't necessary! 

This burger cost only about $1.99 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that Asian influence deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California," "Mexican," "Garlic Chicken Curry," "French Dip," "Asian" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

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By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 6, it's lunch in France!  This burger is a spin on the classic French Dip sandwich, featuring onion and Au Jus.   The combination of that seasoned ground beef, those savory onions and a great bun soaked in that Au Jus makes for a fantastic bite! 

The French Dip Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground beef
• 1/2 package of onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon steak sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• Muenster cheese slices
• Hamburger buns, or French Bread
• A few tabs of butter and a bit of garlic to toast the buns/bread

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef and the onion mix until well incorporated and chill for about 2 hours.  After chilled, form the patties and grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.    While those burgers are grilling, create the Au Jus.  Heat up a saute pan over medium low heat, sauteing those sliced onions in the olive oil.  Once the onions are translucent, add the beef stock, steak sauce, Worcestershire and minced garlic.  Simmer until those burgers are about ready to serve, then run the Au Jus through a fine strainer and reserve the onions.  Melt the Muenster cheese slices on the burgers and toast the buns/bread with garlic butter.  Top the burgers with the reserved onions and serve with a dipping bowl of the Au Jus.  Enjoy!  

This burger cost only about $2.35 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that Au Jus deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California," "Mexican," "Garlic Chicken Curry," "French Dip" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

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