Give dad a break from the barbecue this Father’s Day and wow him with your grill skills thanks to SousVide Supreme.

Barbecue can be intimidating – will the meat be cooked enough or will it be burned to a cinder? How do I know when my burger is cooked without slicing into it and spilling all those lovely juices? Well, thanks to the SousVide Supreme all the guess work is eliminated. You can cook your burger to perfection in advance and keep warm in the water bath until your guests arrive. Then, all the burger needs is a quick flash on a hot grill and they will be perfectly cooked every time. It’s your secret weapon to becoming master of the grill.

This delicious burger with salty blue cheese and soft sweet cipollini onion is sure to melt your dad’s heart. I cooked the burger medium rare in my SousVide Supreme, then seared on the barbecue to get that lovely smoky flavor. I cooked the sweet cipollini onions in the SousVide Supreme until they were meltingly tender. I then charred them for a few seconds on the barbecue. Cipollini onions this sweet, tender and still robust enough for barbecuing could never be achieved without the SousVide Supreme. Barbecued burgers are so often dry and gritty. The SousVide Supreme cooks burgers at a precise and consistent temperature, so that they are evenly cooked and retain all their juices. A sous vide barbecue burger is like no burger you’ve tasted before.

The SousVide Supreme takes all the worry out of barbecuing. If your guests are late, you can still enjoy the day, knowing that your perfectly cooked burgers are waiting in the water bath for when they arrive. You can guarantee that your barbecued food –whether burgers, ribs, chicken, fish or veggies won’t be overcooked or underdone. In fact, dad might be so impressed that he hands you over the barbecue tongs for good!

Sous Vide BBQ Beef Burger with Cipollini Onions and Blue Cheese
Serves 2

Sous vide cooking time 60- 90 minutes for the burgers, plus 35 minutes for the onions

Ingredients:

Onions

• 6 cipollini onions
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) smoked salt

Burger

• 1/2 pound (8oz / 227g ) ground sirloin
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) smoked salt

Extras

• ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml)  oil with a high smoke point
• 2 burger buns
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) mayonnaise
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup (2oz/50g) of blue cheese
• ½ Beefsteak tomato cut into two thick slices

1. Fill and preheat the water in the SousVide Supreme – 185 °F (85°C). Top and tail the cipollini onions and remove the skin with a paring knife. Place the prepared onions into a small (quart /0.95 liter) food-grade cooking pouch in a single layer. Add the butter, salt and pepper to the cooking pouch, and then vacuum seal the pouch. Once the SousVide Supreme has reached the set temperature, submerge the pouch into the water bath and set the timer for 35 minutes.
2. After 35 minutes, remove the pouch from the water bath. Place the pouch in a bowl of iced water until you are ready to barbecue them later.
3. Next, place the ground meat, salt and pepper into a bowl. Using clean hands form the meat into two equal sized patties. Place the burger patties on a large plate and cover with cling wrap, then place them in the freezer for 1 -2 hours. I freeze them before putting them in a vacuum seal bag, as the burgers keep their shape better when they are frozen.
4. Set the water temperature in the SousVide Supreme for the burger – 134 °F (56.5 °C) for medium rare; 140°F (60 °C) for medium; 150 °F(65.5 °C) for well-done.
5. Once the patties are firm and frozen, place them in a large (1 gallon / 3.8 liter) food-grade cooking pouch in a single layer and seal using a vacuum sealer.  As soon as the water has reached the right temperature, submerge the pouch in the SousVide Supreme and cook for 60- 90 minutes.
6. While you are waiting for the burgers to cook, you can prep the other ingredients. Slice the blue cheese, cut the tomatoes, wash and dry the lettuce, and put them in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  Preheat the grill to high heat.
7. Once the burgers are cooked, remove from the cooking pouch and pat them dry with kitchen paper (paper towels). Remove the cippolini onions from their pouch and pat dry. Brush the burgers and the onions with a little oil and then sear them on a hot barbecue grill. I like to toast my burger buns on the grill at the same time. Once the burgers and onions are nicely seared on both sides, take them off the heat. Place the bottom burger bun on a plate, cover one side with mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce, and then place the burger on top.  Slice the cipollini onions in half and arrange over the burger with the blue cheese. Close the burger bun and serve.