Tonight tried what all the cool kids are making on their griddles these days. Crack Burgers, now it could be they named them this because they are to be addicting or is could be that they crack into pieces when you flip them.

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons ranch dressing powder. I used spicy.
1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon, some used the bagged stuff from the store, I had bacon so I cooked it.
1 cup shredded cheese, I think most used cheddar, i used bagged extra sharp cheddar.

 Now some put them in to molds and some made balls and flattened.I used 1.5 pound of meat and adjusted the other ingredients, mixed well, I made four 150 gram balls and four 100 gram balls. The lager ones i figured I would just flatten out some, and the smaller I would smash like smash burgers.Topped with provolone.
 
Rolls were just from a store bakery and browned in the burger oils.

They were not bad, I made mine with a double patty and the GF had one of the thicker ones. She could taste the ranch and she liked them, I couldn't taste those flavors, maybe because of the crust on them. She had mayo on hers and pickles onions and mustard on mine.

They were not bad, if I made them again I may cut back on the sour cream, or even use plain yogurt, bump up the seasoning a bit more. I would not smash flat and use 150 plus gram balls, would maybe do 2 slices of cheese on each, this was presliced/preppackaged stuff from the store. It could have been walmarts brand. The cheese needed to be melted on them to help hold them together I think. I had seen someone add breadcrumbs to try to help them stay together. If you want thin smashed burgers just maybe leave out the sour cream I think that is what causes them to fall apart.

The pictures are not great, I am not a photographer like so many on here are.

I have never had a Chicago Italian Beef sandwich in Chicago.  My question to those that have, and those that have tried Louie's  Italian Beef seasoning mix,  are they comparable, or is Louis's Italian Beef seasoning mix not even close to what you would get in Chicago?

As it gets closer to the burger day on May 19, I think everything is good to go. I still have not tried making any Mac Sauce yet, but I do not think that will be a big deal. The only problem is, there is too much time between the practice run and the actual event. This means my mind is able to wander down some crazy rabbit holes. The other day, out of the blue, and without warning it hit me: A big burger needs a side order of extra large fries.

There are several videos on YouTube that show people making large fries using mashed potatoes. Some worked out better than others. I consulted with Larry about whether or not his latke recipe would work. He thought the mush would be too thin to fry in strips.

After pondering on that for a bit, I came up with an alternative that I may try. Instead of grating potatoes, I will substitute instant potatoes. This will give me control over the consistancy of the mush. If I make the fries approximately 18" in length, I can fry them in my cast iron frying pan. However, if I wanted to bake them, instead of frying them, I could make them even longer.

I did recieve word from the engineering department (my wife Sally), that if the large large fries work out, she would design a fry box to put them in. I love the engineering department!

SS 2 star for me... Philadelphia area

I just did my first cook on the 2 star.  St. Louis ribs.   I tried out the smoke mode for 30 mins and then 220... lots of smoke!    Might be worth a try for a steak if you want that smoky flavor.

In my California (SF bay area) quite a few small ones that shook things.  I felt the NJ one as well down in Philly area.   I wasn't sure what it was at first as I never expected one on the East Coast.

I actually think I will weed now!  I can do it from the golf cart!

melted white american on bottom as i think they flipped it from griddle into roll

Linda and I hope to have some similar planters done (by her brother) soon.  Neither of us can tolerate the bending required to attend to ground-level plantings.

Onions, cheese on bottom?