How To Make Biscuit Love's Wash Park Burger
Biscuit Love was founded in Nashville in 2012 as a food truck by husband-and-wife team Sarah and Karl Worley, who quickly traded up for an Airstream (named Lilly) and then a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Gulch neighborhood. It has since become a Nashville staple due in no small part to the couple's playful take on the classic Southern biscuit brunch.
The Worleys' famous beaten biscuits, inspired by late Southern writer John Egerton, are made using an age-old technique of pounding the dough to achieve a firm texture. Worley makes his own beaten biscuits with vintage machines that work like oversize pasta rollers, with cylinders that tenderize and layer dough (but you can use just a regular pasta roller at home).
"The Wash Park started with wanting something 'lunch-y' on the menu, and wanting to use Bear Creek, who is our provider for beef and pork," says Karl Worley. "They came up with a custom blend beef for us. We gussied it up a bit with bacon jam and pimento cheese and named it the Wash Park after Washington Park in Denver, Colorado, the park where Sarah and I got engaged."
Tip: Some home cooks don't have access to local butchers, but if you do, visit! And support them! If not, ask the guys in the meat department of your local grocery store to grind beef for your burger out of scraps. Not only will it be fresher, it will have more flavor from the blend of cuts and have good fat content!
- 2 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water (around 115 degrees)
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 pounds bacon
- 3/4 pound brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups sweet onions
- 6 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons Tabasco
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black ground pepper
- 6 biscuits
- 2 1/2 pounds beef (we use a blend of chuck and short rib)
- 1 1/2 pounds pimento cheese
- 1 1/2 pounds bacon jam
- :::biscuits:::
- Mix dry yeast, warm water and 2 teaspoons sugar in a large bowl while you gather the rest of the ingredients. Let bloom for 30 minutes.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir with hands to just combine, being careful not to overwork the dough. Cover dough and rest in warm area for 30-40 minutes to rise. Place dough on floured surface, and knead to smooth. Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thick, and cut biscuits with biscuit cutter (we use a 2 1/2 inch on the truck). Place on buttered sheet pan or cast-iron skillet nestled together and brush tops with butter. Allow to rest and rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush immediately with butter.
- :::bacon jam:::
- Chop the bacon into a small dice. Cook until just done but not crispy. Drain off the grease. Reserve bacon and grease.
- Chop the onions into small dice and cook the onions in 1/4 cup of the bacon fat until translucent, add brown sugar and cook on low for 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook for two minutes, add the bacon back to it, add Tabasco and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until it comes together into a jam consistency.
- Allow to cool.
- :::sandwiches:::
- Divide the beef into 6 equal portions. Form into patties and season with salt and pepper. Place cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When it is preheated, place a little oil in the pan and cook the hamburger patties to your desired temperature. After flipping the burgers, place 4 ounces of pimento cheese on top so that it will begin to soften from the heat. When burgers are cooked, pull off the palace on the bottom portion of the sliced biscuits and top with bacon jam.