My friend Randy Clemens wrote an absolutely epic cookbook last year, The Sriracha Cookbook featuring creative and well-written recipes, all of which contain (you guessed it!) the infamous spicy “rooster sauce,” Sriracha. There is a recipe in the book for one of the most extraordinary burgers I have ever had, The Ultimate Sriracha Burger. The Sriracha-infused beef is spicy and incredibly flavorful, and it’s topped with a creamy blue cheese-sriracha sauce, crisp bacon, Swiss cheese, arugula and caramelized onions cooked in bacon fat.

It’s a burger you are unable to forget (and subsequently fantasize about eating again immediately). I wanted to take its essence and translate it into an easier-to-make, weeknight burger (also, I had no bacon or blue cheese dressing, which Randy’s recipe calls for). So I caramelized my onions in butter instead of bacon fat and made fresh guacamole instead of the blue cheese sauce. It was different from the original for sure, but still really, really delicious. I served these bunless, but these would definitely be good on buns or even wrapped in butter lettuce, like a Thai lettuce wrap.

• ingredients
• 2 tbsp butter $1 for a stick
• 1 medium onion, half sliced thinly, half diced finely $0.50
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 is fine) $5
• 2 tbsp Sriracha (or more if you it extra-spicy) $2.50 for 17 oz.
• 2 tbsp soy sauce Pantry
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped finely $1 for a bunch
• 3 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
• 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
• 1/2 recipe guacamole $3.50

Total Cost of Ingredients: $13.50

Directions

Preheat a grill, grill pan or cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat.

Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium-low. Add the sliced onions and cook for 18-20 minutes, until caramelized.

While onions cook, combine the chopped onions, beef, sriracha, soy sauce, cilantro and garlic. Use your hands to mix well and form into 4 equal-sized patties.

Cook the burgers to desired doneness and serve (on buns if desire, over mixed greens or alone), topped with a generous dollop of guacamole and a few caramelized onions (as pictured).

Serves 4.