Who Wants A Smokestack?”
Well, that’s easy: we all do! And guess what? We’re going to make A Shake Shack Smokestack together!
First, a little history about Shake Shack for those who don’t know this terrific restaurant:
Shake Shack got its start as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park in 2004. It was an immediate success, and soon they were serving burgers, sandwiches, shakes and concretes! More on those later.
Since that beginning, the hamburger chain has expanded across the country rapidly, and now can be ordered from Goldbelly to be delivered wherever you live.
Shake Shack is known for their terrific burgers, made with 100% Angus beef that’s humanely raised, vegetarian fed, and source verified. Their chicken sandwiches are made with real white-meat that’s fresh, never frozen.
And their flat-top dogs? They are 100% beef from the pros at Vienna Beef in Chicago, with fries that are crinkle-cut golden potatoes with no trans fats.
OK, history lesson finished, it’s time to dig in!
The “Smokestack” is a classic Shack Burger, with one special ingredient: a fantastic Cherry Pepper Relish – and some Niman Ranch Applewood-Smoked Bacon. The Cherry Pepper Relish adds a sweet, slightly spicy tang to the burger that takes it to a whole new level!
Thanks to Goldbelly, you can have a Smokestack kits shipped right to your house! So, there’s no reason NOT to try one – here is what it looks like when it arrives:
As you can see, you get Martin’s Potato Rolls, Double-Smoked Uncured Bacon, custom 100% Angus Beef blend by Pat LaFrieda, American Cheese, their Hot Cherry Peppers and their “Shack Sauce”, which is a nice blend of mayonnaise, mustard and spices. Let’s get cooking!
First thing is to cook the bacon first and have it ready to utilize later…oh, and that also meant I could cook the hamburgers in some of the bacon fat…I wiped most of it out, but left just enough to give the burger a nice bit of seasoning…
The key to a Shake Shack burger is a bit of crunch on it…they like you to press the burger down and hold it that way while it cooks to give it a nice crispy caramelization on the outside.
Then I put the bacon back in the pan for a moment before placing it on the burger, which I then topped with the cheese…the instructions tell you all you need to know!
The Red Cherry Peppers are the key here…after you finish cooking the burger, you toast the bun and if you want, add some pickle or tomato, or just the meat, now covered with bacon and cheese…then top that with the shack sauce and the red cherry peppers and here is what you have:
The Shake Shack buns are not cut all the way through, so they have a part still connected that you hold – which keeps everything nicely held in, and then you can show it off like this:
Behold The Smokestack!
Yes, it is delicious: I added pickle and tomato to one of them, but the Red Cherry Peppers are enough on their own, enhanced by the shack sauce…a delicious bacon cheeseburger with a pop!
Most Shake Shacks are also open right now for pickup and delivery, and if you go, you should know about these as well:
Concretes!
Yes, this is another of their specialities!
It’s dense frozen custard blended at high speed with mix-ins. You can make your own, or choose from a selection of signature concretes (the crazy-great combinations are specific to each Shack). Available in single or doubles!
I hope you get the chance to try a smokestack, they are great!
I have shared many unique burgers with you, but this may take the cake:
The Shogun Burger!
I wish I could have gone to Japan to get one of these limited-edition burgers that came with its own Samurai Sword!
Click here to see what’s on the burger beside metal!
And don’t forget this burger as well:
The “Glamburger!”
It was called the most expensive burger in the world – and you can click on my story here to find out why:
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Categories: BACON, cookbooks, Food, food blog, Food Review, Hamburgers, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Wacky Food
Wow, that looks tasty.
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It was fun to make…thanks for reading!
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That is some burger, John and for someone who doesn’t eat burgers often ..not because I don’t like a good burger I just never think of burgers except when I visit your page and I could so eat that burger…I wonder if they deliver here…sigh
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HA! Well, on my wife’s show they just made a “rice burger” which was a great way to reimagine the bun…and stuff it with whatever you like!
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Haven’t watched that one yet… That sound different… Was that a recent Kelly C show?
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Yes….the episode with Comedian Jim Gaffigan – I just tagged you with it on Twitter!
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Cheers, John..
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Okay that looks really good! And who knew you could have custom burgers delivered to your doorstep, fresh and ready to be grilled and eaten?!
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Wow! Yum!! One word can speak volumes. 🙂
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Luckily, I had a big meal at 7 pm. Otherwise, I would be famished looking at these.
I’m on board with that delicious burger, John!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, if you found some Red cherry Peppers and added them to any burger, I think you’d get the idea!
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Suddenly, I am very hungry….!!!
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Thanks for th comment, glad it looked appealing!
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I’m drooling!
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Everything in moderation…but right now I’m pretty “moderated!”
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Oh man, that crispy bacon… YES please! 😄 Great idea, a DIY kit to recreate the mouth-watering experience safely at home. Yummmmm!!
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Yes, it worked really well – just can’t do it too often! I followed it with FIVE vegan soups for my wife: carrot ginger, broccoli spinach, tomato basil, curry lentil and pistou!
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woah, omg, i am now starving for this
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This is a pretty impressive burger, John. Now I want one.
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The Red Cherry Peppers are what give it the extra kick! Thanks for commenting!
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Oh wow this looks yum. Won’t be getting quite that here in the UK, but sure I can come up with something…
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The key ingredient is Red Cherry Peppers…make it POP! Glad you are staying safe in this pandemic!
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