Veal, pork flavor Brat Burger

It seems we have a “drunk guy” to thank, in part, for Birch & Barley’s juicy monster, the Brat Burger.

Executive chef Kyle Bailey said one night years ago, the customer let “WHERE ARE THE BRATS?!” fly in the D.C. restaurant, prompting an escorted exit. But the incident motivated the chef to eventually blend bratwurst ingredients into the burger he had been considering adding to the menu.

Cream and egg, found in German recipes — plus spices Bailey liked in a commercial brand — and a mixture of fatback, veal, pork and beef go into each 9-ounce portion.

The burger is topped with melted Emmentaler cheese and a house-made sauerkraut graced with grated apple, bacon and Berliner Weisse, a sour German brew.

“Yeah, you’re gonna need a nap,” Bailey says.

Brat Burgers

8 servings

1 pound ground pork

4 ounces of ground fatback

4 ounces of ground veal

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Pinch each of ground ginger and freshly grated nutmeg

1 large lightly beaten egg

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

8 slices of Emmentaler cheese

8 large brioche hamburger buns

Arugula leaves

2 cups sauerkraut

Combine pork, fatback, veal, kosher salt, white pepper, ginger and nutmeg in the large bowl of a stand mixer (or work in two batches); beat on medium-low for 30 seconds.

Reduce speed to low; gradually add egg and cream; beat for two minutes. Stop to add beef; beat for three minutes, until pink and creamy. Divide into eight portions; use the rim of a plastic deli pint container to shape the portions into patties on two plates. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a large cast-iron skillet in the oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Heat a large grill pan over high on the stove top. Sear the patties in batches in the grill pan for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, giving them a half-turn halfway through to create crosshatch marks. Transfer patties to skillet in the oven.

Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the center of each registers 158 to 165 degrees (desired degree of doneness) on an instant-read thermometer. (The burgers’ interior will look pink, due to the cream and egg; this is OK.) In the last two minutes, top each with a slice of cheese.

Cover the bottom halves of the buns with arugula leaves, add patty, garnish with sauerkraut. Top with bun.