I love a good burger. In fact, I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of burgers. I especially love to try different types of burgers, like the glazed doughnut bun Luther Burger, to the meaty layers of the Kong Burger (up to 4 patties!), the stuffed cheese burger, and even the Walking Ched, a burger from Zombie Burger made with buns of deep fried mac and cheese. The one type I never became a fan of was the peanut butter covered Goober Burger. At the time, I didn't know why as I loved peanut butter paired with proteins ala Peanut Butter Chicken. Every time I ordered a Goober Burger from some random joint, it just didn't do the trick.
I finally saw an episode of Bizarre Foods America and the host tried a Goober Burger that was simple, yet had a couple of twists that I had never tried before. It all made sense. I had to make one and see for myself as my inner burger nerd was craving nothing but the burger I just saw on television.
The key item for me is a foundation of a well seasoned patty. So, I hand made a patty, gave it a good pinch of salt, pepper, soy, and garlic powder. Then I heated up the cast iron skillet. Once one side was done and crusted up, I turned it over and put a hefty spoonful of creamy peanut butter. The goal was to get it soft and melted a bit. I also buttered up and toasted my Rotella's buns on a separate pan.
So the melting of the peanut butter while cooking the patty was my first twist. My second was adding a generous spoonful of mayonnaise on top of the peanut butter once I put the patty on the bun. That's it. No other ingredients. The peanut butter was melty and creamy.
The taste was better than I expected. Something magical happened with the peanut butter and mayo. The seasoned patty added a nice saltiness to the peanut butter and mayo combination. It was messy and delicious. I posted the photo and many were not having it. Something about combining peanut butter with meat had them turning up their noses. Too bad for them. I made another one the next day just to make sure it wasn't some sort of fluke. It wasn't.
If you like odd burgers, give it a try. Remember, season your patty, melt the peanut butter on the patty while it's cooking, and add the mayo. And grab a bunch of napkins, you'll need every one.
-- Wayne
