The Best Burger I've Ever eaten

Shit You Not!

Shit you not! I just had the best burger I’ve ever eaten. The best part? I made it at home. And today is your lucky day because I’m going to share the recipe with you. Don’t worry—it’s easy to follow.

Learning to Love Blue Cheese

It wasn’t easy for me to learn to love blue cheese. For blue cheese haters, I’d say you just haven’t found the right way to eat it yet. The first few times I tried it, I thought it tasted pretty nasty.

My trick was starting with a creamy blue cheese spread, which is much milder. Over time, my palate adjusted, and I began to appreciate the bold flavor that makes blue cheese so unique.

The Secret: Balance the Flavor

One of the best ways to enjoy blue cheese is by pairing it with opposite flavors. Something sweet helps tame the beast. Marmalade, jam, or my personal favorite—caramelized onions—work beautifully.

Blue cheese brings a strong savory flavor, while the sweetness balances it out. Add a glass of wine and the combination gets even better.

If you’re a fan of blue cheese, I also recommend checking out my blue cheese pasta recipe here on the blog.

How the Smash Burger Taco Was Born

The inspiration for this recipe came from my love of making smash burgers at home. Sometimes I even use ground turkey, but that’s a story for another day.

Since I’m currently working on my Tacos & Tequila series, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get creative and combine two things I love: smash burgers and tacos.

The result was a Smash Blue Cheese Burger Taco—and it turned out to be the best burger I’ve ever eaten.

Smash Blue Cheese Burger Taco Recipe

Ingredients

• Ground beef (as much as you’d like)

• 5 saltine crackers per 4 ounces of beef

• 1 egg

• Blue cheese

• Taco tortillas

• Arugula

• Sriracha mayo or your favorite burger sauce

• Jalapeños

• White or yellow onions

• Butter or olive oil

Caramelized Onions

Slice the onions and place them in a pan over low heat with a little butter or olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook for about 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally. If the onions begin to dry out, add a few drops of water to prevent burning. Continue cooking until they become soft, sweet, and beautifully golden brown.

Preparing the Burger Patties

Crush the saltine crackers in a blender or food processor. Add them to a mixing bowl with the ground beef, egg, your own seasoning, I used, Adobo, Paprika, and black pepper.

Mix everything together until well combined. Form the mixture into balls and divide them into two or three portions, depending on the size you want.

Warm the tortillas on both sides and set them aside.

Cooking the Burgers

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place one burger ball into the pan and use a spatula to smash it flat.

Before flipping, add a generous amount of blue cheese to the top. Cook to your preferred doneness, then remove from the pan.

Building the Taco

Start with a warm tortilla. Add arugula, your favorite sauce, the burger patty, and a generous spoonful of caramelized onions.

Finish with extra blue cheese and sliced jalapeños for garnish.

The Perfect Pairing

If you know, you know—the best pairing for a taco is a Golden Martini or aka Reposado Dirty Martini.

For this occasion, I used Primera Mano tequila, which I will definitely be buying again. It’s affordable and surprisingly good.

A Divine Experience

Every bite of this burger was mind-blowing. The savory blue cheese, sweet onions, peppery arugula, and juicy smash burger come together in a way that feels almost unfair.

This wasn’t just a great burger. It was a divine experience.

Honorable Mention #1: The Burger Salad

One of my favorite burgers is the Burger Salad from 5 Napkin Burger.

The dish combines mixed greens, radishes, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese dressing, and a juicy 8-ounce burger patty. I know some people don’t like vegetables with their burgers, but I think this is one of the best ways to enjoy one.

You can take your time, enjoy bite after bite, and experience different combinations of flavors throughout the meal. Plus, you don’t feel overly full afterward.

Honorable Mention #2: The Carnegie Hall

Another favorite is the Carnegie Hall burger from Katz’s Deli.

If you don’t like jalapeño poppers, you can skip this one. But for jalapeño popper lovers, this burger is a dream. It comes loaded with jalapeño poppers along with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and raspberry sauce.

I usually order it with onion rings and an extra side of raspberry sauce for dipping. If you enjoy messy burgers packed with flavor, this one is worth trying.