The Ultimate Burger was ultimately delicious.

Found in an issue of Men's Health here is a burger to punch your senses. They call it The Ultimate Burger.

It has Apple slices, bacon and cheese in the actual meat of the burger and a tasty spread that I enjoyed but Ryan did not.

The following recipie is from the link above and belongs to it's creator Grant Achatz.

Charcuterie Burger:

What you'll need

Sauce Gribiche:
3 Tbsp finely chopped hard-boiled egg whites
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped cornichon pickles
1 Tbsp finely chopped nonpareil capers
1 Tbsp finely chopped white onion
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped tarragon
Pinch kosher salt

The Burgers:
Canola oil
8 slices hickory-smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4"-thick lengths
1/4 cup finely diced shallots
1 Tbsp caraway seeds, ground in a spice grinder
1 lb ground beef (80% lean)
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 tsp (plus a pinch) kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat side of a chef's knife
4 sourdough hamburger buns, split and toasted

How to make it:
1. Combine the gribiche ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate. In a large pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil on medium. Add the bacon and saute until partially cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots and caraway seeds and cook until the shallots are translucent, about 3 more minutes. Using your fingers, gently break apart the beef into another bowl. Place the bowl of beef, the bacon mixture, and a fork in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over very high heat until it begins to smoke. Immediately add the apple slices and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip them and cook until browned on the other side, another 2 minutes or so. Add butter and cook until the apples are very soft, about 2 minutes more. Remove them from the pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove all the items from the freezer. Add the bacon mixture to the beef along with the Gruyere, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Using the cold fork, gently mix the ingredients together. Form the meat into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

4. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large ovenproof saute pan on high until the oil begins to smoke. Add the burger patties, thyme, and garlic. Cook, without moving the meat, until the bottoms of the burgers caramelize and develop a crust, about 2 1/2 minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, flip the patties and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes to finish the burger. Remove the burgers from the pan and set on paper towels to drain excess fat.

5. Place the burger patties on the bottom half of each bun. Spread a generous helping of sauce gribiche on each burger. Top with a few pieces of roasted apple and then the bun tops, and serve. Makes 4 servings

 Working off of just getting off work we had neither the time nor energy to find the Sourdough Hamburger rolls so we purchased Portuguese rolls if I recall. We slightly toasted them and they were just as amazing. We also couldn't get Gruyere so we used Swiss cheese as it's replacement.

We also made baked fries on the side. Those I simply sprayed with cooking spray and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

All in all dinner that night was amazing. Though Ryan preferred no sauce on his burger and we couldn't get the exact rolls or cheese, it still didn't take so much away as to ruin the delight-fulness of this burger. So sauce or no sauce, Gruyere or no Gruyere, you should definitely try this meal at home.