Silver Spur Ranch Blue Cheese Burgers

About this recipe and why it works

This blue cheese burger recipe comes from one of our prized Junior League of Denver cookbooks, Colorado Classique. It’s one of a series of seven cookbooks that I covet and refer to often for recipes that showcase our Western culinary culture.

The name of the recipe bears the namesake Silver Spur Ranch, but without a hint of why.

Turning to Google I found that Silver Spur Ranch is a huge cattle operation with ranches in New Mexico, Wyoming, Northern Colorado and Central Colorado And the 4th largest cattle operation in the United States.

I have no doubt these cowboys know their “burgers”

These blue cheese burgers are SO good that about two bites in I asked Hubs, “Am I just starving or are these things delicious?”  Hubs answered, “These things are delicious!”

These blue cheese burgers start with the humble 80/20 blend of hamburger meat, preferably grass fed, to which hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard is added to kick up the flavor.

With the perfect amount of blue cheese added in as to not over-power that beefy flavor, you’ve got yourself a mighty fine tasting hamburger.

Let’s take a look:

Ingredients You’ll Need

As far as the ingredients for these recipe, let’s just say this lineup makes for one of the most mouthwatering burgers you’ll ever taste.

• 80-20 blend ground beef: Fat equals flavor. It may sound like a high fat content, but most of the fat renders out during the cooking process. 20% fat content will give you a moist juicy hamburger. And grass fed beef is always a healthier option. (source Webmd) Ground Chuck is also a very popular choice for any burger.
• Blue Cheese: With a texture like butter and rich in aroma and flavor, blue cheese adds a spicy piquancy to ground beef. It’s a delicious combination.
• Hot Sauce: Adds just enough spice to get your attention, but not to over power. Use your favorite. I like Cholula, a rich, bold and medium heat sauce. Tabasco sauce would also be a good choice here.
• Worcestershire Sauce: My very favorite ingredient in this recipe. Savory, sweet and with a distinct tang, it really ramps up the flavor.
• Dry Mustard: My 2nd favorite ingredient in this recipe. Dry mustard adds a tangy heat. Clean with a fresh aroma and sharp flavor, it’s a perfect partner for ground beef.
• Chives: (optional) Chives are related to onion and the flavor is evident. In a very delicate way. They add just a perfect hint of onion flavor.
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper To taste.
• Hamburger Buns: Choose your favorite. Sesame buns are always a good choice.

What’s the best blue cheese for burgers?

Blue cheese can be slow to melt, so how do you choose the best blue cheese burgers? Let’s talk creamy. Purchasing blue cheese in a plastic container that’s already been crumbled can result in a dry textured blue cheese. A cheese that won’t blend well with the hamburger meat.

Purchase a wedge of blue cheese in the gourmet cheese section at your store. Here are some creamy blue cheese options.

• Award Winning Point Reyes Blue Cheese is my absolute favorite blue cheese on earth. Creamy and bold in flavor, it’s perfect for melting into these burgers.
• Maytag blue cheese is also a quality choice. Maytag blue cheese is produced in Iowa and is a cow’s milk cheese with exceptional blue cheese flavor and creamy texture.
• Stilton Cheese: Stilton is an English semi-soft, crumbly and creamy. With a bold rich flavor it will bring a more intense and complex flavor to these burgers.

Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy!

Let’s get started.

1. Step 1: Grab your favorite large bowl and add all of the ingredients to make the patties. Use your (very clean) hands to blend the ground beef with the seasonings. Using a spoon or other large utensil will simply smash the ingredients together and will cause the burgers to become too dense and mushy in texture. Hands are your best tool here.

2. Step 2: Form the meat into burger patties. Using your hands, gently form the meat mixture into six 6-ounce patties. Don’t over-work the meat, you want them to be just firm enough to hold together. We like ⅓ pound burgers, so due to the extra ingredients, each burger will weigh just over 6 ounces. I used a kitchen scale to weigh each chunk of meat before forming into patties. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and let them rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours or even over-night.
3. Step 3: Cook the hamburgers. Using either an outdoor grill or cast iron skillet. Cook time for the burgers is 5-6 minutes per side. Get the cooking surface nice and hot then add the hamburgers. After there’s a good sear on one side of the burger, turn heat down and cook 5 – 6 minutes. Only turning once, cook the other side of the burger for the same amount of time. Use a instant-read thermometer to insure the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat, keep the burgers warm while you toast the burger buns.
4. Step 4: Toast the buns. Butter each bun and cook butter side down until the buns are nice and toasty. Serve immediately.

Toppings for Blue Cheese Burgers

These blue cheese burgers are so full of flavor it really doesn’t need much in the way of toppings, but here are some suggestions if you’re looking to jazz things up.

• Onions: Thin sliced rings of sweet onions or red onions work well here. And if you’re looking for some tangy spice, top these burgers with Pickled Red Onions.
• Greens: Curly green leaf lettuce always makes a nice show on any burger, but don’t forget about peppery arugula for a different flavor profile.
• Tomatoes: When in season, a slice of sweet fresh tomato is always a treat.
• Bacon: Add slices of cooked bacon on top and make these into bacon blue cheese burgers – no one can resist bacon. Yes please!

Storage

Did you cook too many burgers? I do on purpose, so I can have one for lunch the next day. Store the cooked patties in an air tight container in the refrigerator, or wrapped in plastic wrap. Store toppings and buns separately. When ready to reheat, place the cooked burger meat in the microwave and heat in 30 second increments until hot. Then build your burger.

Silver Spur Ranch Blue Cheese Burgers

Grilled or pan fried, these blue cheese burgers are irresistibly amazing.

Sides Suggestions:

What immediately comes to mind as a perfect partner for any cheeseburger? Fries! I’ve used frozen crinkle fries in this photo, but my homemade Smoked Paprika Oven Fries are a fine choice to serve with these burgers. Here’s some more seasonal recipes:

• Pineapple Coleslaw with Buttermilk with Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing Creamy, sweet and spicy it’s a perfect side dish for any Summer BBQ and you’ll be amazed at how many people will ask you for the recipe.
• Old Fashioned Classic Potato Salad: Creamy with mayonnaise, tangy with mustard, crunchy with celery and onion, and with a surprise of green olives, this is an old-fashioned classic potato salad recipe.
• Calico Beans. Nourishing, satisfying and the best pot of beans you’ll ever tango with.

And don’t forget about baked beans, a perfect side for any burger. Take a look at my recipe for BBQ Baked Beans On The Grill.

Beef lover? You won’t want to miss my Beef Category. Lots of beefy goodness to browse.

The most popular being my lineup of 31 Best Burger Recipes for Father’s Day. Check it out.

More Burger Recipes

• Rosemary Garlic Burgers with Smoked Gruyere Ground beef seasoned with fresh rosemary and garlic, and topped with wine caramelized red onions.
• Bobby Flay Texas Burger Juicy, delicious, topped with slaw and BBQ Sauce. Perfect crowd pleasing burger for your next back yard cookout.
• Buffalo Bill Burger A buffalo burger recipe using ground bison and Mexican chorizo. The burgers are seasoned with Southwestern flavors and then topped with a smoky BBQ cream sauce.
• Colorado Burger with Jalapeno Aioli: Prime beef topped with a slice of tomato, bacon, avocado and a dollop of jalapeno aioli.
• Steakhouse Burger with Fry Sauce. This classic steakhouse burger made easy in your own kitchen is fully loaded with flavor using a special mix of seasonings.