Ozzifying Michael Symon’s Lola Bacon Cheese Burger - a Recipe Re-do from The Chew on Oct 3, 2011

Ah, Michael, Michael, Michael, if your recipes continue to be the stuff of a cardiac surgeon like Dr. Mehmet Oz's nightmares, I fear this blog is going to appear as if I am picking on you nearly as much as you all pick on his daughter, Daphne Oz. 

Of the ten ingredients in your Lola Burger, I kept as is exactly TWO!  There are so many modifications needed to make this burger heart healthy that it could be called the the Hola burger - as in HELLO!!!! Your cardiologist is on line one! My Ozzified recipe Re-do is very tasty & doesn’t come with a side of bypass.

• You say 20-25% of saturated fat in your burger makes it delicious - current nutritional standards say saturated fat makes it a ticking time bomb. Add the rest of the fat found in your burger, such as the cheddar cheese, basting the egg in fat, etc. and nearly half of what you're stuffing in your face is artery-clogging saturated lard. 
• Fat is NOT your friend when it comes to hamburgers, unless you're Dr. Oz's friend Dr. Michael Roizen ... your Lola burgers are job security for him @ the Cleveland Clinic.

Carla Hall suggested those wanting less fat should make a smaller burger...Hola! That burger (recipe here) would make a slider look big in comparison to my Ozzified version:


Kept:

• Cracked black pepper
• Dill pickle slice

   Changed: 

• Replaced the high fat burger mix of 1/3 ground short ribs, 1/3 ground brisket & 1/3 ground sirloin with 100% ground bison meat, which is very lean - only 10% fat content
• 86ed the kosher salt and replaced it with low sodium bacon salt to compensate for the loss of the bacon flavor
• Nixed the pickled onions and put caramelized red onions in their place

Modified:

•  Swapped sliced Cheddar for 2% shredded cheddar.   Shreds mean you can use less.
• Replaced the refined white flour English muffins with a whole grain bun. They do make some whole grain English muffins but I've yet to find one out here that wasn't the head fakes Dr. Oz warns us about.
• Egg - I used an egg from chickens fed a diet rich in Omega 3 fatty acids & used a tiny amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan rather than baste it in grease the way Mario Batali did this afternoon. 
• Used no-salt catsup instead of regular catsup to reduce the sodium content of the Spicy catsup. Sracha has 100 mg of sodium per tsp which is more than enough for the sauce on this burger

   86ed altogether:

•   Bacon - make no mistake, I love bacon, but there is no need for yet a fourth protein in this delicious burger. The choice to dump this particular protein is based on the link between processed meats & some cancers. Once in a while won't kill anyone, so when I eat bacon, I want it to stand alone so I can savor the flavor. With all the other flavors here, the taste of the bacon will blend in - the low sodium bacon salt will fill the bill nicely without adding more calories and saturated fat in the process.

   

   This burger drips down your arm seductively - just like the original Lola Burger, but this food porn won't end up in cardiac arrest. Enjoy this recipe re-do with a side of sweet potato chips for a heart-healthy meal.