The Parts & Labour burger

Burger recipe from Toronto's Parts & Labour

Matt Matheson may be travelling all across Canada for his shows on Vice and his Keep It Canada project, but his famous burger from Toronto's Parts & Labour can be had from your home if you follow his recipe.

Bacon onion jam

1 lb smoked bacon, cut into lardons (1/4-inch dice)
5 onions, sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a frying pan over medium heat, sauté bacon until crispy. Add onion, reduce heat to low, and cook for at least 1 hour, or until onions and bacon are caramelized and deep brown. (Slow cooking releases the natural sugars from the onion, allowing them to develop a beautiful texture.)

Stir in vinegar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate in an airtight container until needed.

 

Dill pickle mayo

3 kosher dill pickles, we use Strub’s, roughly chopped
1 cup mayonnaise, we use Hellmann’s

In a blender, combine pickles and mayonnaise. Blend until combined, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate until needed.

 

Burgers

3 lb Ontario beef brisket
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp canola oil
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese
6 hamburger buns
butter
1 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

In a meat grinder, using a fine die, grind brisket. Using your hands, form into six 6.5-oz patties about 1-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook patties for 41/2 minutes per side. At the 3-minute mark on the second side, top each patty with an equal amount of onion jam and cheese. Cover pan with a lid to melt the cheese and warm the jam and to finish cooking. 

To Serve:

Toast bun halves and butter. Spoon generous tablespoon of dill pickle mayo onto each half. On bottom half of bun, add lettuce, then top with prepared burger. Sandwich with other half of bun and crush it. Enjoy. 

 

Yield:
6 servings