Badass Lamb Meatball Burger with Whiskey Sauce
on Sep 26, 2015, Updated Apr 19, 2021
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Burger and whiskey sauce sounds like quite the combination, no? This Badass Lamb Meatball burger is here to raise your burger bar high because its full of flavors that will fill your tummy AND heart! This wholesome meal is blessed with a whiskey sauce that brings out the best in the burger and is made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey.
I never post two days in a row, but there are times when you try something out, and if you don’t share its awesomeness with the world immediately, you don’t deserve to be called a Food Blogger. And that’s what this Badass Lamb Meatball Burger with an insane Whiskey Sauce is all about.
It all started with the sauce actually. We recently had Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey at a friends place and were floored! While Denver and I are both whiskey lovers, this was like liquor but also whiskey with a really smooth finish. We ended up buying a bottle for our collection, finished it with the help of some friends and then got another one, courtesy War and Cheese. All this while, I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibilities of using this whiskey in food. And that’s how this sauce was born.
Now when you have a sauce that good, you better pair it with food that deserves it. It had to be some badass man food. Something that a guy would love to chomp on with a chilled glass of beer. Doesn’t hurt that I love burgers just as much as the next fella.
Some of you may point out that this isn’t really burger season, but who decides that?! I say any season is burger season. Because burgers are just plain awesome, and this one – well, I just want you to look at this picture and decide whether you are with me or with the soup.
I had some minced lamb sitting in the fridge, but you could definitely use beef or pork. These meatballs were braised with star anise and cinnamon, drowned with whiskey sauce, covered in melted cheese and topped with crunchy onion rings for a badass burger that I bet you can’t resist.
If you ever get down to trying this bad boy, don’t forget to give me a holler on Instagram, tag your pictures #myfoodstories and we’ll exchange notes about our favorite burgers. Deal?
More Burgers & Sandwiches:
- Keema Pav Burger | Indian Lamb Sloppy Joe
- Fully Loaded Veggie Burger with Avocado Mint Chutney
- Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich
- French Bread Pizza Toasts
Badass Lamb Meatball Burger with Whiskey Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Burger Buns
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1/4 cup Cheese, Grated
- 2 Star Anise
- 1 Cinnamon, small Stick
- Lettuce and sliced Onions, optional
For the Tennessee Honey Whiskey Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Whiskey
- 1/8 cup Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Mustard, Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
For the meatballs
- 300 grams Lamb, Mince
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Cumin, Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 Onion, large, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
For the Onion Rings
- 1/2 cup Tempura Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 2 Onions, large thickly sliced
- Salt to taste
- Water, Chilled
- Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients listed under meatballs. Form 8 large golf sized meatballs from this mixture.
- Heat up a non stick pan, add 1/2 cup water, star anise and the cinnamon stick to it. Slowly slide in the meatballs and bring this to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame slightly and let the meatballs cook in the liquid. Turn them around only once or twice. Once all the liquid has evaporated, toss the meatballs in the pan and let them glaze a nice golden brown in their own fat. Switch off the flame.
- In another saucepan, start making the sauce. Add the butter and garlic. Saute for a minute and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring this to a quick boil, reduce the flame and let this simmer for 10 minutes till the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Toss the meatballs in 2-3 tablespoon of the sauce while still hot and set aside.
- To make the onion rings, heat up oil in a deep vessel or kadhai. Season the tempura flour with salt and chili powder and slowly add water to it. Keep mixing till there are no lumps. The batter should be thick in consistency (same as pakoda batter) so that it coats the onion rings.
- Once the oil is hot, dip each onion ring in the tempura batter till it’s evenly coated and fry on high heat till golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the oil on tissue paper.
- To assemble the burgers, slice each burger bun in half and lightly heat on each side with a little butter. Top the bottom half with 4 meatballs, and add cheese to it. Place this on a hot pan, cover with a lid and heat it up for a minute till the cheese melts. Top this with onion rings, lettuce and more sauce. Serve with some chilled beer.
Notes
- The whiskey sauce is quite salty so go easy on the salt in the other elements.
- The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I’ve never tried storing it for longer than that.
- It’s important to use chilled water to make the tempura batter. The cold batter helps avoid oily rings. In case you can’t find tempura flour, use regular Maida or All Purpose Flour, a teaspoon of Cornstarch and add a pinch of baking soda to it.
- The lettuce is optional, but tastes pretty good with the burger.
Haha glad you think so Gina 😀
I don’t even cook with meat, but this is _totally_ badass. I gotta try the sauce and onion rings at least!
Thanks Shikha 🙂
Aaah….Love it!