- [Announcer] The Paunch Burger
dinner for breakfast burger combo.
It tastes amazing.
What's in it, who cares!
How many calories, shut up!
It's awesome.
Put it in your body or you're a nerd!
- [Narrator] Hey, what's up guys.
Welcome back to Binging with Babish where this week,
in the first episode of a "Parks and Rec" trilogy,
we are taking a look at the fabled Paunch Burger.
Specifically the grease ball extravaganza
known as the dinner for breakfast combo.
So thankfully this episode is sponsored by Thrive Market,
an online membership-based market
on a mission to make healthy living
easy and affordable for everyone.
Members save an average of $32 on every order.
So be sure to sign up at the link in the video description.
I have a feeling I'm gonna be especially thankful for
this sponsorship because even by my most
conservative estimates, this burger and fry combo
is going to clock in at around 2,400 calories.
In no small part thanks to the chili cheese fries.
So first up I'm making a very basic beef chili.
Saute some onions for about three minutes,
add some crushed garlic, two tablespoons of chili powder,
one teaspoon of cayenne pepper,
teaspoon of sweet paprika, and a teaspoon of oregano.
Saute one to two minutes or until fragrant.
And now I've got my pound of beef from Food 'n Stuff.
Ooh, let's get rid of that beef bandage.
Break up the beef and saute for five to seven minutes,
or until no longer pink.
Then we're adding a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
and maybe a quarter cup of water.
Bring to a bare simmer, partially covering,
and allowing to simmer over low heat
for an hour to an hour and a half.
Until it's nice and thick, and all the flavors have melded.
And it strikes you as chili fry ready.
As always we're gonna wait for the chili to finish cooking
before tasting for seasoning,
and adding kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
This can be made up to three days ahead of time,
but for now, I'm just gonna cover it and keep it warm,
because we've got lots of other stuff to make.
First up, the cheese sauce, whose method
we are deriving from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Into a small saucepan we are combining
one can of evaporated milk,
and eight ounces of grated sharp cheddar
that we have tossed together with
one tablespoon of cornstarch.
Maybe a dash or two of hot sauce
if you want to be taken seriously.
Go ahead and cook this over medium heat,
stirring constantly,
until it has thickened into a cheese sauce.
Set that aside and keep it warm
while we contend with what looked to me like onion rings
stacked betwixt the hamburger patties.
So I'm slicing two large Spanish onions
into a big old thick steak-like slices.
Separating them into rings, and spreading them out
on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Again in a technique adapted from
the one and only J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
These onions are headed into the freezer
until frozen solid, at least one hour.
Not only is this going to break down
their cellular structure so they become tender,
it's also going to allow us to very easily
peel off their inner membrane,
after thawing in a bowl of tepid water.
These membranes are the leading cause of
onion ring coating related slippage.
So by removing them, you will have tender onion rings
that will not slip out of their protective fried coating.
Our onions are ready to go,
but whatever you do do not throw away your onion water.
This is going to be integral.
And just kidding, you can toss it,
especially because we need the bowl to make our beer batter.
Into said bowl goes one cup of cake flour,
half a cup of corn starch, one teaspoon of baking powder,
half teaspoon of baking soda,
and an optional shake of paprika.
Tiny whisk to a state of homogeneity.
And then it is time to introduce our liquids to the party.
Three quarters of a cup of beer and a quarter cup of vodka.
Just go ahead and pour it on in there--
Oh, no wait, I'm right-handed.
We've gotta switch this around.
Sorry, sometimes I forget.
Anyway, we are whisking constantly
while we add the beer and vodka mixture.
In the end we want the batter to have
the consistency of paint.
Over on the stovetop we are heating one quart each
vegetable and peanut oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once our target temperature is reached,
it's time to dip the onion rings in the beer batter,
let the excess drip off,
and drop them into the awaiting fry oil.
Frying for about one minute per side,
before evacuating onto a wire rack
set in a rimmed baking sheet.
If your onion rings are sputtering and spattering too much,
make sure that they are super dry.
And once everybody is fried,
make sure to season them with kosher salt
while they are still warm.
And keep 'em that way in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven,
whilst we make our final burger preparations.
First, on a lightly oiled cast iron skillet
set over medium high heat, we are going to perform
the integral act of toasting our buns.
Buns toasted, we're gonna crank the heat up to high
and introduce our burgers to the party.
Three third pound patties seasoned generously
with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
And allowed to sear undisturbed for three to five minutes
on their first side until a deep brown crust forms,
and they lift freely off the cast iron.
You can see I've placed a little dimple
in the center of each patty to prevent these
from turning into softballs.
Before flipping and allowing to cook
for an additional two to three minutes.
Then we're killing the heat,
topping each with a slice of yellow American cheese,
adding a dash of water to the pan
for some cheese melting steam,
and covering with a cloche.
And now finally, we're ready to assemble.
It appears as though the burger starts with
a pathetic leaf of lettuce, followed by the first burger,
an onion ring, and a squirt of Ketchup.
Then it's just a matter of repeating this process
two more times.
It's during this time that we can think about
the 2,400 calories that we're about to consume.
Oh yeah, there's a fried egg on top.
Make that 2,475.
This is after all the dinner for breakfast combo.
Next up we are proudly piling chili and cheese sauce
atop our french fries, adding our top bun.
And folks, I think we've done it.
This is the Paunch Burger dinner for breakfast combo.
Let's go ahead and use some magic to clear the table off.
There we go.
And as much as I wanna try to just
take a bite out of this thing,
I think we gotta get a cross section.
So I'm gonna do my best to not absolutely
destroy this thing as I cut it in half.
And as you can see, the Ketchup between each layer
was a little inadvisable because it ends up
looking like blood, but whatever.
I think it only adds to the sheer carnage of the occasion.
And surprise, surprise, it's really quite good.
I am, and always have been, and continue to be
a supporter of onion rings on burgers.
And look, it's just dripping grease,
and covered in cheese and chili.
Exactly how I imagined it.
But to be honest, you guys,
I don't think I can induct this into the Clean Plate Club.
My blood feels thick and syrupy.
Let's see if we can use the ingredients in this delivery
from Thrive Market to make Chris Traeger's
famous salad dressing.
- Oh, Linda, in case you're interested,
I brought my own dressing.
- You really can't be doing that.
- Oh, this is the last time, I promise.
It contains extra virgin olive oil,
a little bit of lemon, and a hint of turmeric.
- Sounds great.
- Okay, I'm definitely ready to feel healthier.
In a small bowl, we're gonna combine
the juice of one large lemon,
and equal parts of high quality olive oil,
and a teaspoon of turmeric.
Better make it two teaspoons, this stuff
is supposed to have great anti-inflammatory qualities.
And after that burger combo, I feel inflamed.
Simply tiny whisk until it forms a thick, creamy emulsion
that you can pour over the salad of your choice.
I'm going with Chris's favorite food, plain lettuce.
Let's give it a try.
And the salad could use some other stuff in it,
but the dressing is really, really good.
And I can already feel it making me healthier.
So thanks again to the sponsor of today's episode,
Thrive Market, for helping me offset
some of the damage done by the Paunch food group.
Thrive Market provides its members with thousands
of the highest quality, healthy,
and sustainable products in grocery, supplements,
home products, and much more.
You can easily shop by 70 plus diets and values,
like keto, gluten-free, non-GMO, and more.
If you're concerned about the environmental effects
of having your groceries delivered,
Thrive Market has you covered there as well.
Your groceries will be delivered with carbon neutral
shipping methods from their zero waste warehouses.
Head to the link in the video description
to sign up for Thrive Market membership
and take the guided shopping quiz
to get a personalized shopping list
and product recommendations that are tailored to you.
When you join today through my link
you will receive a free gift, up to a $22 value.
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