I made some fun stuff for @tonychacheres Creole spice! This spice has been a staple in my kitchen forever and it goes well on literally EVERY DAMN THING. Look for a new recipe and video here every month from May to July.
Those who know the Judice Inn of Lafayette, LA know what a great place it is, and how specifically Acadian that burger tastes. Their Double Cheeseburger is a classic, no-frills burger cooked on a flattop and served wrapped in waxed paper. But what makes this simple burger stand out is Creole spice.
The Judice opened in 1947 and today, almost 75 years later, is still owned and operated by the same family. The spice combination the family uses on the burger is a secret, but use Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning and I’ll bet you'll get pretty close. They also have a special red sauce that I’ve heard is assembled in complete secrecy and only a few Judice family members actually know the recipe. I have attempted to reverse engineer the sauce and I think I came pretty close.
Makes 3 burgers
1 lb - high quality ground chuck
1 - large sweet onion, sliced thin
3 - classic, seeded burger buns
butter
6 - slices American cheese
mayonaise
yellow mustard
Secret Red Sauce (see below)
iceberg lettuce, shredded
Secret Red Sauce (see below)
Tony Chachere’s Orig Creole Seasoning
Judice Inn Secret Red Sauce
(just a guess)
1/2 cup - ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons - diced sweet onion
1/4 cup diced dill pickle
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
1 tsp - white vinegar
a few shakes - fresh ground black pepper
a few shakes - Tony Chachere’s Louisiana Pepper Sauce
Tony Chachere’s Orig Creole Seasoning
Divide meat into 6 equal portions and roll into loosely formed balls. Cook the sliced onion in a pan with some butter and olive oil over low heat until caramelized (20 mins+).
Combine all of the Secret Red Sauce ingredients in a bowl, whisk and set aside. Butter buns and set aside.
Hand-smash balls of beef using 2 squares of parchment paper. Place on flattop or in cast iron skillet at 400F and sprinkle with Tony Chachere’s Orig Creole. Place buns, butter side down, on flattop near burgers (if using a cast iron pan toast the buns first and set aside). Cook the burgers until liquid forms on top of patties (could be as fast as 2 mins), flip and place a slice of cheese on each patty.
Spread the bottom half of a toasted bun (the ‘heel’) with some mayo and mustard. To that add a cooked patty, then spoon some caramelized onion on top, then the second patty. Add a handful of the shredded iceberg, a big dollop of the Secret Red Sauce, and the top half of the toasted bun. To make this a truly authentic Judice Inn Double Cheeseburger wrap it up in waxed paper, grab a bag of Zapp’s chips and a cold beer.