Memorial Day recipes: Chef Joe Isidori's steakhouse and smoky Texas-inspired burgers
The countdown to Memorial Day is on, which means it's time to fire up the grill for some summer favorites, burgers and hot dogs.
Chef Joe Isidori from Arthur & Sons Restaurant in New York City joined "Good Morning America" on Wednesday with a few gourmet spins on the classic backyard cookout burger to make for the holiday weekend and beyond.
Isidori, who is competing on the new season of the Food Network culinary competition "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing," crafted two burgers, a steakhouse style burger and a double patty topped with a special smoky sauce.
Later on "GMA3," Isidori shared two more recipes to upgrade the average hot dog.
Check out the full recipes below.
New York Burger
Ingredients
Two 3 1/2-ounce beef patties
3 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup store-bought creamy horseradish sauce
1/2 cup mushrooms, sauteed
1/4 cup onions, caramelized
Neutral cooking oil, as needed
1 toasted burger bun
Directions
Season the patties with salt and pepper to taste.
Smash and sear the patties on a flat top for about 2 minutes per side.
Add blue cheese and cook until melted.
Saute the mushrooms in a pan with neutral cooking oil until tender.
Cook sliced onions slowly in neutral cooking oil until soft and golden brown.
Place patties on a toasted bun and top with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions.
Finish with creamy horseradish sauce and serve.
Tips and takeaways
- Use cremini mushrooms for better flavor than button mushrooms.
- Skip imported blue cheese for this -- domestic varieties work just as well.
- Do not add sugar when caramelizing onions.
- Prepared horseradish has more punch and heat than fresh.
Texan Burger
Ingredients
Two 3 1/2-ounce beef patties
2 slices pepper jack cheese
2 slices crispy bacon
1 to 2 onion rings
2 to 3 tablespoons Smoky Texas BBQ sauce (recipe and ingredients below)
1 toasted burger bun
Smoky Texas BBQ sauce
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Directions
Make the sauce: Mix all sauce ingredients until combined.
Make the burger: Season the patties with salt and pepper to taste.
Smash and sear the patties on a flat top for about 2 minutes per side.
Add pepper jack cheese and cook until melted.
Top with bacon, onion rings and Smoky Texas BBQ sauce.
Tips and takeaways
- Use a high-quality barbecue sauce as your base for the best flavor.
- Bake bacon in the oven instead of deep frying, though pan-frying works as well.
- Fried onion strips can be used instead of onion rings.
- Swiss, American or provolone cheese can be substituted for pepper jack, with provolone offering more flavor.
The Fat Artie Hot Dog
Ingredients
1 Sabrett hot dog
1 Martin's hot dog bun
1/4 cup sauerkraut
1/4 cup Artie's Spicy Onions (recipe and ingredients below)
2 tablespoons brown mustard
Artie's Spicy Onions
1 jar Sabrett onions
1/4 cup sriracha
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 teaspoons hot sauce
Directions
Make the spicy onions: Add all spicy onion ingredients to a saute pan and simmer for about 5 minutes until combined.
Make the hot dog: Sear the hot dog on a flat top griddle.
Toast the bun on the griddle.
Place the hot dog in the bun, dress with brown mustard, and top with sauerkraut and spicy onions.
Tips and takeaways
- Hot dogs should be griddled or even boiled, but not grilled.
- For a less spicy onion mix, omit the sriracha.
- Do not use ketchup.
Rhode Island Dog
Ingredients
1 Sabrett hot dog
1 Martin's hot dog bun
1/2 cup Joe's Chili (recipe and ingredients below)
2 tablespoons Spanish onion, chopped
2 tablespoons brown mustard
Joe's Chili
8 ounces ground chuck beef (80/20)
1/2 cup Spanish onion, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon onion powder
3/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
Directions
Make the chili: Saute chopped onion until translucent.
Add beef and cook until browned with the onion.
Stir in the spices until incorporated, then add water.
Add apple cider vinegar and stir to combine.
Add Heinz 57 sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes until the chili comes together.
Make the hot dog: Sear the hot dog on a flat top griddle.
Toast the bun on the griddle.
Place the hot dog in the bun, dress with brown mustard, then top with chili and garnish with chopped onion.
Tips and takeaways
- Use an all-beef hot dog for the best flavor.
- This chili does not require tomato sauce.
- Chopped red onion can be substituted for Spanish onion if desired.
- Use brown mustard instead of yellow mustard.
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