It’s burger time.Memorial Day marks theunofficial start of summerand the outdoor cooking sea-son, so say goodbye to youroven and head for the grillwith some ground beef.

But bring along some otherstuff, too, and I’m not talkingabout the ketchup and mus-tard. I mean Cajun andouilleor Italian sausages, choppedbeef brisket, herb-garlic but-ter, caramelized onions, andblue or pepper jack cheeses.

Why? Because when itcomes to mouthwateringburgers, the sky’s the limit.

Take that sausage or brisketand mix it with your groundbeef to add some extra heftand flavor to burgers.

Stuff the patties with thepepper jack cheese or yourfavorite cheese spread, or ablend of the caramelized on-ions and blue cheese, and giveyour weekend picnic guests atasty surprise.

Or put a dollop of the fla-vored butter inside – just alittle – and make that burgerextra juicy.

And don’t forget to grill theburger buns. Spread the topsand bottoms with a little but-ter or oil and maybe a dash ofseasoning salt and put themalongside the burgers on thewarming side of your grill forquick toasting.

Then, yes, you can add theketchup and mustard if youwant, but I’m betting youwon’t even need them.

The andouille sausage bur-ger is one of Rob Wilhoite’sfavorites. He calls it his Cajunburger.

The Mechanicsville residentknown to most folks as Capt.Rob runs a barbecue cateringcompany as well as a fewother ventures, including acharter-boat operation. When

it comes to making good bur-gers, he said, you have to startwith the best ingredients.

For burgers, that meansground chuck.

“Hands-down, you gottause 80/20,” Wilhoite said oneday last week as a few of theCajun burgers sizzled on hisgrill. That refers to meat that’s80 percent lean and 20 per-cent fat.

“You gotta have that fatcontent for flavor,” he said.

Many of us strive to eatbetter so we turn to leanermeats, such as 85/15 or even93/7.

The way Wilhoite sees it,that’s like eating fat-freecream cheese.

FLIPfor delicious Cajun burgers

FoodWEDNESDAYMay 23, 2012TimesDispatch.comu u uRichmond Times-Dispatch u Editor Cindy Creasy u (804) 649-6434 u ccreasy@timesdispatch.com

E

Smooth, sweet, cold and just theticket for contracting brain freezeon a hot summer day. There’s areason milkshakes are a staple of child-hood.

But why should the kids have all thefun?

Sure, strawberry, chocolate and vanil-la make fine beverages for summer. Butfor an after-dinner twist just for thegrown-ups, how about stirring in a little

black raspberry liqueur or a dash ofbourbon? Bartenders across the countryare doing just that as they shake up theseasonal staple.

At Hill Country Barbecue Market inWashington, the maple bourbon milk-shake pays homage to the retro dinersand soda fountains of the 1950s. Servedin the classic style with two straws inone large glass, this shake made for shar-ing combines a rich blend of bourbonwith vanilla ice cream and maple syrupinfused with vanilla beans. The whole

It isn’t just for kids A childhood favorite, the milkshake,becomes a boozy, adults-only treat

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Keep yoursummerinterestingwithamped-upshakessuch asthe purplevelvetmilkshake(right) andthe toastedmaltmilkshake,which bothincorporatealcohol.

BY MICHELLE LOCKEThe Associated Press

How about a maple bourbon milkshake?Or an old-fashioned float made with prosecco or

hard root beer? And a really wild take on the shakefeatures foie gras ice cream and walnut liquor.

SHAKES, Page E2

Featuring

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MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH

Mechanicsville resident Rob Wilhoite, known as Capt. Rob tomost, says the best burgers are made with 80/20 ground chuck.

Make mouthwatering patties by addingother meats, cheeses, onions or butters

BY HOLLY PRESTIDGERichmond Times-Dispatch COOKING TIP Use flavored butter

Flavored butters are easy to make and a great way to use yourfavorite herbs, such as dill, chives and parsley.Start with one stick of softened butter. Put it in a bowl and add toit 2 tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped herbs. Mix until combinedand smooth, adding more herbs to taste if desired. Refrigerate thebutter until firm.When you’re ready to cook your burgers, make a well in the centerof the meat and add a firm pat of butter, then cover with moremeat. Cook burgers and serve. If you prefer to use the butter as atopping, just add a pat on top of the hot burgers before serving.

BURGERS, Page E3

Seek and findFind a new recipe orsubmit your own

favorites to our database.Recipes.TimesDispatch.com

BOB EVANS FARMS INC

Smoked Brisket BurgerMakes 4 burgers

1 pound 80⁄20 ground chuck1⁄3 pound smoked beef brisket, choppedBasic Barbecue Rub

Toppings: cheddar cheese, sweet onionslices, spring greens, your favorite barbe-cue sauce

Mix the ground beef with the chopped brisket. Form into 4 patties. Apply a light coating of thebarbecue rub to the patties. Grill to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Take off grill and topwith cheddar, sweet onion, greens and barbecue sauce.

“Why?” he asked. “Youmight as well be usingchicken if you’re gonna dothat,” he said about usinganything leaner than 80/20.

But he did offer tips forbeefing up a leaner bur-ger, like adding just a littlebeef broth to the groundmeat before cooking or aflavor enhancer such asWorcestershire sauce.

“Not enough to make itmushy,” he said, “but justenough to put a little fla-vor into it.”

Wilhoite also makes aburger with smoked beefbrisket mixed with groundbeef. He smokes his ownbrisket, but for everyonewho doesn’t, he suggestsbuying some at a favoritebarbecue joint and freez-ing it until it’s needed. Hefigures lots of us put porkinto baked beans, “so whynot just add it to the ham-burger?”

When it comes to cook-ing burgers, it’s all aboutthe dimples, the heat andkeeping your tongs orspatula to yourself.

(Note: Consider anyutensil with prongs orspears as an enemy weap-on. Burgers need to keeptheir juices while they’recooking, so don’t piercethem.)

But dimples are OK. Infact, when making thepatties, you want them tolook like doughnuts butwithout the holes going allthe way through the mid-dle, said David Eisel, exec-

utive chef and director ofculinary development forBob Evans restaurants.

Ever had a burger thatlooked more like a meat-ball? You throw away halfthe bun because the meatsits right in the middleand all those yummytoppings keep falling off.

That happens, Eiselexplained, because themeat shrinks when itcooks, but the top andbottom of the patty ex-pand. So making big in-dentations in the middlemeans the burgers willcook flat and even.

He recommends havingdual-zone temperatures inyour grill if you can. Makeone side very hot and searthe burgers quickly fortwo or three minutes oneach side. Then movethem to the other side,which is warm but notvery hot, until they finishcooking.

He suggests seasoningburgers only on the out-side, and start seasoningabout 20 minutes beforecooking. Cook burgers toan internal temperature ofat least 160 degrees toeliminate risks of un-dercooked meat. That’llgive you a medium-wellburger.

As for ways to makeyour burgers really standout, Eisel suggests thingssuch as zesty Italian sau-sage with ground beef, ora stuffing of roasted po-blano peppers – or fla-vored butter, which “justkind of melts into themeat.”

And he echoes Wil-hoite’s sentiments on the

80/20 beef.“Any less [fat] than that

and you really limit yourability to get a juicy bur-ger,” Eisel said.

Wilhoite’s Cajun burgerincludes the andouille-beef patty, in which hechops the sausage intosmall chunks or grinds itbefore adding to the beef.Then he tops the burgerwith fresh spring greens,thick slices of MontereyJack cheese, a squirt ofmayo and a couple ofdashes – depending onheat tolerances – of hisfavorite hot sauce.

“It’s all about multiplelayers of flavor,” he saidabout his burger cre-ations.

Wilhoite said his rulefor cooking anything –from burgers to his be-loved Southern comfortdishes, such as chickenfried steak and macaroniand cheese – is to usequality ingredients thatbring out the best flavors,even if that means they’renot always the healthiestoptions.

“You’re not going to eatlike this every day,” hesaid, citing the fattiermeat as an example.“Sometimes it’s just whatmakes it work.”

hprestidge@timesdispatch.com(804) 649-6945

BurgersFrom Page E1

MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Cajun burger is served with greens, thick-sliced cheese, mayo and hot sauce.

Beer Cheese SpreadThis would be perfect to stuff inside a burger or even used as a topping. Depending on howmany burgers you’re making, you’ll likely have a lot left over. Just use the rest as a dip for chips orcrackers or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.Makes 12 servings

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded½ small onion, finely chopped1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon hot sauce1⁄8 teaspoon ground red pepper6 ounces amber beer, at room temperatureSalt and pepper to taste

Combine the first five ingredients and blend on low in a food processor. Gradually add thebeer and mix on medium-high for 1 minute, or until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the burgers: Make a hamburger patty and form a well in the center. Add 1 to 2 tea-spoons or up to a tablespoon of the cheese spread in the center and cover with more beef. Cookburgers and serve.

— Adapted from Southern Living

Cajun BurgerMakes 4 burgers

1 pound 80⁄20 ground chuck2 andouille sausage links, chopped small or

ground

Cajun seasoning, mayonnaise, hot sauce,spring greens, Monterey Jack cheese fortopping

Combine the meats and form into 4 patties. Sprinkle with your favorite Cajun rub. Grill to aninternal temperature of 165 degrees. Take off grill and serve with mayonnaise, hot sauce, springgreens and Monterey Jack cheese.

— Rob Wilhoite

Basic Barbecue Rub1 cup EACH: white sugar,

kosher salt, steak season-ing, dark chili powderMix well and store in an

airtight container.— Rob Wilhoite

Chef David Eisel,who works forBob Evansrestaurants,suggests thingssuch as zestyItalian sausagewith groundbeef, or a stuff-ing of roastedpoblano peppers– or the flavoredbutter, which“just kind ofmelts into themeat.”

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH u u u WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012 E3

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Dining OutBurger Bach’s fare is enhancedwith inventive dipping sauces.

Read Dana Craig’s review inThursday’s Weekend section.