The Boilermaker Burger

In my old life, I used to work in the power generation industry. Boilers were my thing… which is also what led me to meeting my husband. He’s a boiler man himself. There is just something immensely amazing stepping into a giant boiler. I’ve been inside natural gas HRSG’s, natural gas boilers, coal boilers, and garbage burner boilers. I have some really neat photos, to say the least. And we have an odd collection of boiler tubes and other power plant parts.

So, a boilermaker drink is a shot of whiskey dropped in a pint of beer, which is then chugged. There’s something brawny and rugged about it. And the motley crew of boilermakers (or welders) who come in to repair power plant boilers embody that same image. A ragtag group of rugged guys, sometimes joined by a badass chick who rocks a welding machine like a pro. And while this group of guys may seem intimidating, when you’re part of a team trying to get the boiler back to perfection, you’re all just one. I’ve spent many a night crouched under a boiler or squeezed away in a subfloor, watching welders work or waiting for the boiler to fill with water to test for leaks. There’s an automatic kinship.

So, I wanted to bring that brawniness into a burger, and how better to do that than combining beer and whiskey? And, of course, in honor of a boiler, a little kick of heat 😉.

So, what’s to this burger? Well, bacon to start. I like to cook my bacon by popping it in a cold oven before starting the oven up. When the bacon is done, it’s brushed with a spicy whiskey glaze that is delicious! Then, a cheddar fondue is made with cheddar (duh!), milk, Dijon, Guinness, whiskey, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. I always make enough to have a bowl of melted cheese on the table for us to dip our fries into… trust me, that’s a must!

I always season by ground beef before forming into patties. It just really enhances the flavor of the burger all around when you do that. Then to top it all off is a slice of red onion and BBQ sauce. I like a nice sweet and spicy robust BBQ sauce. This burger is just all sorts of yum. And don’t worry about the alcohol if you have kids. It all burns off when cooking and leaves you with all the yummy flavors. 

My only tip is to prep everything before starting. When the bacon is in the oven, you can make the cheese fondue. And then, when there’s 10 minutes left on the timer, make the burgers. Then, it all comes together in 25 minutes. Awesome burger night burger!

Enjoy!