- [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. (dynamic music)
Genuinely thought he was going to try and make a healthy version of this for a hot second.
Genuinely had no idea that cheese sauce was that easy to make. Guess I’m ready to go on the Pawnee diet.
What’s next? Meat Tornado? Burger with pizzas as buns that the Decemberists raved about? An improved burger cook off?!
He totally got me with the onion water. I mean, pasta water is key in a lot of pasta sauces.
He forgot the child sized soda!
/u/oliverbabish why the two different oils for the onion rings??
But he forgot the other breakfast food that makes it 'dinner-for-breakfast', the bacon :o
Seriously u/oliverbabish, when is the crossover episode with u/J_Kenji_Lopez-Alt?
I'm actually surprised that was only 2400 calories... The ground beef alone is at least 2400 calories, although I suppose he didn't put all of that chili on the fries. 3 ⅓ pound patties is 1400 calories by itself!
I’d guess the next two episodes would be something JJ’s diner related and then maybe something Sweetums related??