Dinner Tonight: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

After an interesting but ultimately very disappointing hamburger soup at a recent dinner, I started thinking about the elements of a cheeseburger, and how they would be incorporated into soup form.

Hamburger - obviously ground beef would get the job done, but I didn't like how the meat separated into tiny meaty bits floating in the liquid. I want a big bite of meat with my soup. So, with the need for large pieces of meat comes with more consideration for the cooking method. The soups and stews of old would just throw everything into a pot and cook until overdone, but that really misses several opportunities to introduce flavor into the dish. Stew cooking is slow cooking, so we need a cut with a lot of connective tissue, giving the low heat time to break down and become unctuous. My mind went back to Alton Brown's beef stew recipe (which is really a goulash recipe), and I chose to braise boneless short ribs in a similar fashion. As to the braising liquid, I initially wanted to replace the tomato paste with mustard, but I was worried that three pounds of mustardy short rib pieces might be a little strong. I decided to do half with mustard, and the other half with ketchup, thereby keeping half safely similar to the original recipe, and the dual mustard-ketchup interplay was interesting. The meat is the most important part of the hamburger, so it should be the base of the soup, too. It was either chicken or beef stock, and beef had to be the way to go.

Cheese - I thought it would be nice to add some shredded cheese to the liquid, but I wasn't sure if it was possible to add only a limited amount such that it adds flavor, but not a whole hog cheese soup consistency. I was going to try it, and some Wisconsin cheddar seem like a good choice.

Onion - Though a mirepoix eventually found its way into the base, it wasn't planned initially, so I was thinking about adding the onion in a manner similar to French onion soup. Some butter-caramelized onions will provide some sweetness and add get the job done.

Tomato and Pickle - These elements are best enjoyed fresh and cold on a burger, so I chose to save them as a garnish rather than throw them into the pot.

Lettuce - Also best cold, but not very flavorful, so it would either be used very sparingly along with the tomato and pickle, or thrown in like corned beef and cabbage. I chose the latter.

Potatoes - Why not throw the fries into the pot, too? Frying seemed a little unnecessary, especially since any crispy texture would be lost after submersion. I chose a simple browning before adding them in.

Bacon - Everything's better with bacon, and I had some extra laying around, so it's going in.

I didn't use any bun representation. The best I could come up with was similar to - again - French onion soup, with a crouton on top, and the cheese could make its appearance there, but I decided against it.

So here's the final recipe:

• 3 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 yellow onion, Frenched
• 1 red onion, Frenched 
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 large Russet potatoes, julienned
• 1 hothouse tomato, seeded and diced
• 4 dill pickle spears, seeded and diced
• 5 thick cut pieces of bacon, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 head medium-sized head of lettuce, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (divided)
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (divided)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley (divided)
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (divided)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (divided)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup whole-ground mustard
• 2 quarts beef stock
• 4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine half of the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, oregano, garlic, all of the ketchup, and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining amounts of each of the ingredients, along with all of the mustard, and whisk to combine.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until a drop of water dances when placed in the pan. Sear the pieces of meat on all sides. Toss half of the meat with the ketchup mixture, and half with the mustard mixture. Wrap the meat in heavy duty aluminum foil, and place inside a 250 degree oven for 4 hours.

In a fry pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the red and yellow onions, a heavy pinch of salt, and sweat until golden brown, 30-45 minutes.

In a stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add the diced carrots, onion, celery, a pinch of salt, and sweat until soft. Add the beef stock, bay leaf, and thyme, and simmer for thirty minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme from the pot and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the stock and vegetables until smooth. Add the cheese in handfuls, making sure the previous handful has melted completely before adding the next. Blend again if desired. Add the sweated onions and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cover, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a fry pan and brown the potatoes. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of the pan. Once browned, add to stock pot along with the lettuce.

Cook the bacon pieces in a fry pan over medium-low heat. Drain and set aside.

After the meat is finished, remove from oven, open the foil packages, and add meat to stockpot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup garnished with the tomatoes, pickles, and bacon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My only regrets are not using the juices from the meat packages (though they may have provided too much of a mustardy and ketchupy flavor), and not using the bacon fat for anything (although I used it to make a vinaigrette and eat with the remaining lettuce). Also, while I know that a mealy red potato would have had an easier time staying together in the pot, I like the starchy ones better. Still, I may go back to a red potato next time, because it was hard browning the white potatoes without them falling apart a little bit. Otherwise, I thought it was a pretty solid soup, and only one of a handful of recipes that I've thought out from beginning to end (the only other that comes to mind is my should-be-award-winning chili). And I cannot stress enough how much better this soup was than the one I had at that restaurant. So much better.