Best Blue Cheese for Burger

[rcbaughn]

Well, I recently went to Whole Foods and purchased the Kerrygold Cashel blue for a burger I was making, and I was absolutely floored by the funkiness of the cheese. It was so strong and so amazing on the burger. It melted into an almost oily state and flavored the entire burger from inside to outside.

I was hoping to get some other brands that work well on a good burger, cooked medium rare of course. I like strong blue cheeses and also slightly creamy. Crumbly dry variations really aren't my thing. I tried the Rogue Smokey Blue on a burger and it never really softened and really wasn't very flavorful or strong enough for my palette.

P.S. - My favorite cheese in the world is Le Petite brie. So damn strong and ammoniated. Good baguette + preserves + Le Petite = Amazing.

[ski_gpsy]

Several years ago a Grand Prize winning burger used 6oz of Garlic & Herbs spreadable cheese (I use Boursin brand) and 4oz strong Bleu Cheese mixed and melted in a sauce pan, then spread thick onto the burger, or the bun. OMG! It's so good that I actually ordered a little cast iron fondue set (*see photo) with a pot that can sit directly on the grill and melt the cheeses while the burgers cook. The cheese stays melted and spreadable over a tea light, and everyone can serve themselves.

That's when I'm going all out. If I just want a great hit of Bleu Cheese to stay on the bread, I take the room temp cheeses and mix a teaspoon+ of mayo into the Boursin and stir to get it creamy. Then I fold in the crumbles of Bleu Cheese. Its yummy and spreadable and the bleu definitely stays on the burger. Or the Rueben, or the BLT, or the .....?

[rcbaughn]

Well I ended up going with Bleu des Causses Herve Mons from Whole Foods. It was creamy and not overly pungent, which I really wanted but it was still a very good cheese. The only problem I had was that it was a bit TOO creamy, in that it melted into oil pretty much in some spots. Other than that though it was quite a good cheese. I will probably buy it again to eat alone, but I think I am going to try something else for a burger next time.

[escondido123]

And that's why spreading it on the bun works so well.

[mcf]

I take two burger patties, put the cheese between them, and crimp the edges to keep the cheese from oozing out. Grill and wah lah... it does ooze when you bite into it... but it's not gone. I love maytag, cambazola or roquefort.

[shallots]

A local dairy (near Loudon TN) makes a lot of their own cheeses. Sadly, they don't make blue cheese. But they do let some of their cheeses age and (dear lord) the added flavour that comes with two more years of aging.

Mr Shallots loathes blue cheese; he also loathes the aged other cheeses. So you know they have to be good.

Anyway, I bring this up to suggest that folks looking for massive cheese flavor may want to expand into searching for more aged cheddars (etc.) that are local (and under $10) a pound.

[RichardinJP]

I mix lots of Roquefort into the hamburg (home ground) itself , grill the burgers. and then top with lots of sauteed onions. And of course a bit of Hellman's mayo on the bun doesn't hurt (well maybe this is a bit of cholesterol gone crazy, but oh so delicious).

[Yank]

Don't know if they sell it in the states, but the humble Danish Blue works very well for burgers.

Melts well, doesn't overpower the other ingredients and is cheap to by.

[Leepa]

Re: your PS. What kind of preserves to you like with the Le Petite?

[rcbaughn]

My grandmother makes her own, and I have tried those with the Le Petite. I believe the first wedge I bought I used her plum and strawberry with it, but found that the sweetness was a bit much for the brie, I prefer a bit tarter preserve but not overly so.

The next time I bought the Whole Foods brand preserve, I believe it was Fruits of the Forest or something along those lines. It was very raspberry-esque. Raspberry can be overpowering for my palette though, so I prefer it to be cut with some other fruit. The absolute best to go with a brie is fig jam. The fig flavor goes extremely well with the strong flavor of the Le Petite.

Another favorite is with some fresh pecans or salted pistachios and a drizzle of honey. Absolutely amazing, especially if you are purchasing a very high quality local honey. I get mine from a bee keeper right down the road. Very very opaque, almost cloudy. It taste like the bees are spitting it right in your mouth despite how gross that may sound.

Oh, I tried some prosciutto with it and didn't like it. It was just too much for the brie. I like for the brie to be the frontrunner in the taste.

BTW, I bought some President's brand brie, and it was weak, flavorless, and overall the worst cheese I've tried. I would even say Kraft Singles have more flavor. I guess I prefer stronger cheeses and that certainly isn't one of them. It was like eating thick air. No good.

[Leepa]

Thanks. I was thinking fig and have some at the ready.

Yep. President's is pretty bad... supermarket brie.

[Bacardi1]

Actually, if you have a Wegmans supermarket in your vicinity, their own brand of Brie is pretty darn good. Made in large wheels & sold in wedges at VERY reasonable prices, AND they sell it in three separate stages according to age: mild, medium, & aged. The mild is too young for me, but the medium is perfect - buttery with a nice mushroomy Brie flavor. The aged is also nice - not over the top or ammonia-scented or anything.

[Leepa]

I live in NC so, unfortunately, no Wegmans near here. Thanks for the tip though....

[rcbaughn]

Same, there is no Wegman's here either which makes me sad since a good and cheaper brie can be found there. I am use to paying 14.99 a pound for the Pe Petite, but it is the one treat that I do not mind spending the money on. I can not think of any other cheese in the world that I like better. It would be pretty awesome to find one even stronger, I would love to know how far my palette can be taken in the strong cheeses.

[Bacardi1]

Wow. I'm hanging my head in shame & almost embarrassed to admit that I like blue cheese salad dressing on my burgers. "Marie's Extra Chunky" in particular.

But I do love a variety of good blues on their own or along with a nice perfectly ripe pear & a glass of ruby Port.

[Veggo]

Marie's Extra Chunky is a gateway to the hard stuff.....

[biondanonima]

Love blue cheese salad dressing on a burger - it's like a combination of blue cheese and mayo, with a little extra tang. I use it to dip my fries too!

[Veggo]

Blue cheese is slow to melt on a burger, as you noticed, and one must add the cheese immediately after the flip to get a melty medium rare. Maytag is a soft creamy blue, but unfortunately its price point is such that the cheese is more costly than the burger.

[rcbaughn]

Yeah, I paid $19.99 per pound for the Cashel at Whole Foods. Enough for one burger was around $3.50, twice as much as the ground beef patty cost. But it's so good, I don't think I can ever eat American cheese on a burger again. It's like flavorless goo to me now.

[hawkeyeui93]

How much in Maytag for you? I live in Iowa and am curious ....

[Veggo]

About $20/ lb. in Texas and Florida, N/A in Mexico. How about for you, where it's made?

[hawkeyeui93]

$10-12/lb. ....

[escondido123]

I don't put the Roquefort on the burger but rather get it out early so it gets good and soft and then spread it on the hot, toasted bun.

[Veggo]

That's a good method to avoid overcooking the meat - thanks!

[escondido123]

Real Roquefort.

[Karl S]

Yes. Valdeon and Calabres from Spain would be alternatives.

[rcbaughn]

Roquefort is generally more creamy than a regular blue isn't it? I've never known the exact differences between Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and regular blue other than where it is produced. Also, bear in mind I LOVE strong cheeses. The stronger the better to me. Mold is delicious.