Killer Burger Sauce

Elevate your burger game with this delicious killer burger sauce recipe. Made with a secret blend of ingredients, this sauce will take your burgers to the next level.

This is it, the killer burger sauce recipe. If you don’t want dry, flavorless burgers, look no further for the best classic hamburger sauce.

I’ll make this short and sweet since we’ve already talked about our two secrets for the perfect burger. We live by those secrets and sure enough our burger turns out every time. Dust off the grill and let’s make perfect burgers and then top with the best burger sauce you’ve ever had!

Burger Sauce Ingredients

So you’re probably wondering what goes into the best burger sauce. Well, let me tell you! Think Big Mac Sauce, In-N-Out’s special sauce or thousand island dressing, but made in the comfort of your own home. It’s easy and comes together in no time!

• Mayonnaise
• BBQ Sauce
• Ketchup
• Mustard or Dijon Mustard
• Sweet Pickle Relish
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper

To make the sauce, whisk all the ingredients together and set aside until the hamburgers are ready to assemble. The measurements of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Assemble the Perfect Burger

Forget the ketchup and mayo and go for a really good burger sauce. I am a huge fan of sauces and condiments but in the case of the burger, keep it simple, burger, sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Besides the burger sauce, these are the other items you will want to make a drool-worthy burger…

• Brioche Buns: Always toast your buns. Always. Whether or not you use butter brushed on the inside and outside is up to you, but always toast those babies.
• Special Meat Blend: Burgers don’t want to be slow cooked so crank up the heat and quickly cook on each side. We do medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
• Lettuce: We prefer butter or green leaf lettuce for the best texture, color and flavor.
• Vine Ripe Tomato: We slice the tomatoes thin using our favorite tomato knife.
• American Cheese: A processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses and gets extra melty and delicious.
• Butter: A little butter on the burger is always a good thing. Culvers butter burger converted us and we hardly ever make it without butter.
• Salt and Pepper: I cringe a little every time I see a burger get plopped on a grill without seasoning. Do you like your French fries without salt? Well meat needs seasoning as well.

Copycat J.Dawgs Special Sauce

If you have been to J.Dawgs here in Utah before, you know that their special sauce just can’t beat! I would bathe in it if I could!

It is sweet and tangy and is the perfect compliment to that grilled hot dog! My mouth is starting to water just thinking about it. Good thing there is a J.Dawgs right down the road from us, but if you live far away, you can make the infamous J.Dawgs special sauce at home. And it’s so dang simple!

I am a sauce lover! Like for real…give me all the sauces! Have you tried our killer burger sauce? Have mercy! Imho, just about everything is better if a sauce is involved!

Ok, back to J.Dawgs…the sauce on this hot dog is fantastic. The only way to describe the hot dog is, it’s a saucy dog. I realize that sounds kinda lame, but I don’t know how else to describe it. My girls love hot dogs, and I actually do too. A good hot dog with a perfectly toasted bun. It’s good. I know some of you are cringing, but we really do love them.

J.Dawgs came to Utah years ago and quickly became a huge favorite! This J-Dawgs copycat recipe is kind of totally awesome and if you’ve never had their special sauce it’s time to try it!

What Ingredients Do You Need for J.Dawgs Special Sauce?

Here is the list of ingredients you will need, probably in your pantry already!

• Ketchup
• BBQ Sauce (You can make our homemade sauce or go with Sweet Baby Rays)
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper
• Honey
• Paprika (I use smoked paprika, but use what you have on hand.)

The measurements for each ingredient are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post. The recipe card can be printed or saved to easily use again.

How to Make J.Dawgs Special Sauce

Making the sauce doesn’t get any easier! Just mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and then keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to sauce up your grilled dogs.

Why Does J.Dawgs Criss Cross Cut Their Hotdogs?

Ok, I don’t know the actual answer to this question, but let me tell you why we have totally converted to the criss cross cut hotdog (see picture above).

First, it allows the grilled or smoky flavor to penetrate deep into the hotdog enhancing the flavor.

Second, the dog cook much faster because the middle of the hotdog is exposed directly to the heat (helps J.Dawgs crank those delicious dogs out quickly).

Last and most important in my opinion, all those criss cross cut create all sorts of nooks and crannies for that special sauce to catch and seep down into. Saucy baby!

Can Hot Dogs Be Eaten Without Cooking?

It’s important to always reheat hot dogs until they’re steaming hot.

Some ready-to-eat food

Easiest Apple Butter Recipe (Homemade From Scratch)

This recipe is so simple – it’s the easiest apple butter recipe from scratch. I use all fresh ingredients, and I promise you it tastes just as good as the apple butter you grew up with.

I grew up on pretty much 100% home-canned applesauce, which is amazing as my mom actually hates cooked apples. She did it for us and I’ve loved it ever since. But apple butter, now that’s the next level!! I use it on toast, cooked with pork or chicken, in quick breads and cakes, etc!

All you need is 6 simple ingredients, and this apple butter sauce is yours! Fill your home and belly with the smells and flavors of fall!

Recommended Equipment

• Blendtec Immersion Blender (use coupon code OHSWEETBASIL20 for a 20% off discount!)
• Apple Peeler or Swivel Peeler

Before You Begin

Prepare all the apples by removing the cores, peeling them, and slicing them into bitesize pieces.

What is Apple Butter?

Though it contains no butter, apple butter is a similar consistency of butter. Apple butter is super concentrated sweetened apples that have been pureed to a smooth spreadable sauce. You can think of it as an apple jam. It has intense delicious apple flavor.

Apple Butter Ingredients

Here are the 6 (possibly 7) ingredients you need to make apple butter from scratch:

• Apples: You’ll need about 16 apples depending on the size of the apples to get 6 lbs of apples. Weigh the apples first and then core, peel and cut them.
  • TIP: You’ll need at least a 6 quart slow cooker to hold all these apples.
• Dark Brown Sugar: You can use light brown sugar too, I just love the richness the dark brown sugar adds.
• Sugar: just regular granulated sugar, helps apples caramelize
• Cinnamon: an absolute must for apple recipes and all things fall
• Ground Cloves: adds an extra bit of warmth and flavor
• Salt: cuts through all the sweetness and enhances all the flavors
• Vanilla: this is optional but does add delicious flavor

This is just an overview of the ingredients used in this recipe. The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down at the end of the post.

How to Make Apple Butter in a Slow Cooker

It doesn’t get easier than making this apple butter recipe in the slow cooker! Here is an overview of the steps:

1. Combine the white sugar and spices/seasonings in a small bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add the prepared apples to the sl

Tzatziki Recipe

This tzatziki recipe is made with creamy Greek yogurt, cucumber, tangy lemon juice and zest, garlic and bright pops of fresh herbs.

I went on a date my first summer home from college and the guy took me to a hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant with the most delicious fried potatoes and tzatziki (pronounced Tsaht-ZEE-kee). It was perfectly crunchy, fried and indulgent with this light and refreshing sauce. I have been sold ever since!

I have said many times how much of a sauce/dip lover I am, and this one is my latest obsession. We use it on homemade gyros, of course, but I also love it as a dip for fresh veggies or pita bread. It’s also great as a spread on sandwiches or as a dressing for salad.

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients

The ingredients are so simple, but the combination of them all makes such a refreshing and tasty sauce. Here is what you will need:

• Plain Greek Yogurt: you can use full fat, low fat or fat free, but the fat free doesn’t hold up quite as well and definitely stick with Greek yogurt
• Lemon Zest and Juice: you’ll definitely want fresh lemon juice for this recipe and you can’t beat the flavor you get from the zest
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: a good quality olive oil is recommended
• Garlic: grab a whole head of garlic and either press the clove or finely grate it so that texturally you don’t know it’s there but you still get that unmistakable flavor
• Cucumber: always use English cucumbers because they are less seedy and a little sweeter
  • PRO TIP: I tried grated and minced and I much prefer grated.
• Sea Salt: adds flavor
• Dill: fresh and chopped…I don’t recommend dried, just not the same
• Mint: fresh and finely chopped

How to Make This Tzatziki Recipe

1. Prepare the cucumber: grate it and then squeeze as much of the liquid out of it as possible using paper towels, cheesecloth or a thin dish towel
2. Prep the other ingredients: zest and juice the lemon, mince the herbs and garlic
3. Create the sauce: whisk all the ingredients together
4. Let is rest: cover the sauce and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour so all the flavor can meld together

Tips for Success

We have tried different combinations and tried to cut some corners here and there, but we have found that fresh ingredients are critical! Fresh lemon and fresh herbs!

Use English cucumbers instead of regular cucumbers. You don’t need to peel them and the seeds are so tiny that you don’t even notice them.

Squeeze the living daylights out of that cucumber! You want the fresh flavor of the cucumber but you don’t any of the liquid or it will cause your tzatziki sauce to be watery and separate.

After you’ve mixed everything together, let it rest in the refrigerator so all the flavors can combine. It really does make a huge difference! Y

Pickled Red Onions

I don’t know why I haven’t posted this recipe sooner, but I can’t stop making and eating these pickled red onions…bring on all the tacos!

Pickled red onions are tangy and sweet, and they add a little extra crunch to whatever you put them on. I’m obsessed with them! I absolutely love them on tacos and pretty much all Mexican recipes. They are also phenomenal on sandwiches or burgers or in a salad. Essentially, I just keep them on hand all the time now.

They have a long shelf life and just get better with age. All you need is 6 simple ingredients!

Ingredients for Picked Red Onions

Here are the 6 simple ingredients you will need to make pickled onions:

• Red Onion – thinly sliced, you could use any type of onion you want if you aren’t a red fan
• Apple Cider Vinegar and Red Wine Vinegar – I love the combination of these two vinegars, they are sweet and a little more mild
• Sugar – balances the tartness and acidity of the vinegars
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor and enhances all the flavors
• Water – using warm water helps dissolve the sugar and salt

The measurement for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below. The recipe can be saved or printed there as well.

Variations for Pickled Onions

I’m all about not changing things up if it’s delicious, but this recipe is super flexible and can be easily adjusted to fit your desires. Here are a few ideas:

• Spicy – add slices of jalapeno or a dash or red pepper flakes
• Garlicky – add a clove or two of fresh garlic that has been thinly sliced
• Peppery – add whole peppercorns
• Herby – add a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary or whatever herb(s) you love

You can also use other types of onions or vinegar. Play around with this recipe and find variation is your favorite!

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