Welcome to the Burger Summer Series. Each week I’ll be sharing a new burger recipe in June and July. To begin this week I am sharing a Michigan Olive Burger recipe that is a staple in this state. With an all beef patty and a creamy olive spread it is one unforgettable burger.
What is a Michigan Olive Burger? That is a good question. When we moved here in 2018, I had never heard of it. But it was on every single menu or every restaurant that we walked into. At first, I actually thought it sounded gross – and I love a good olive anything. Then once I tried it, I was hooked. With a creamy olive spread, cheese and the beef it was an incredible combination. It is basically a Cult Classic in burger form in my state. This is my version of the delicious Michigan Olive Burger recipe.
What is on a Michigan Olive Burger?
The Michigan Olive Burger has a few simple ingredients. First, you have the all-beef patty. Sometimes there might be two patties and sometimes it might be a smash burger. But the beef is where you want to start. Then there is usually some lettuce. I decided to use arugula in my version but you can use iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce too. This is generally placed beneath the patty so not to interfere with the olive sauce, which is placed onto of a piece of Swiss or provolone cheese. Lastly, there is of course the bun. Just a simple build for a burger that delivers oodles and oodles of flavor.
Where did olive burgers come from?
Olive burger recipes seem to have their own lore in Michigan. Many people say they have relatives who “invented” the olive burger. There is a family in Lansing who has the burgers on the menu of their family restaurant and they claim it was made by their great-grandmother Gladys in the 1920s. But then there is a place in Flint – the original Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs that also had olive burgers on the menu back in 1923. Some claim that the Grand Rapids Kewpee Hotel had it first. And still, there are random people on the internet and in the tiny towns that dot Michigan’s roads who will also lay claim to the sandwich and its locally famous sauce.
What is in the olive burger recipe sauce?
Whether you call it a sauce or a topping, the Michigan Olive Burger consists of a creamy, tangy green olive and pimento cream cheese spread. It is an interest combination of flavors in that it combines the green olives, pimentos included, and the cream cheese along with mayonnaise. Most places will not tell you what is in their olive burger sauce. But I will. 🙂 I am so thrilled to be sharing this piece of Michigan history with you today and my version of a Michigan Olive Burger recipe. It really seems like the best way to kick off this series. Besides the green olives, pimentos and cream cheese and mayonnaise, my olive burger sauce also includes paprika, ketchup, dijon, fresh garlic, Worcestershire sauce and a bit of fish sauce. I know it all sounds like a group of weird flavors. Perhaps it is. But weird can be good and this sauce certainly is.
My olive burger patty
For the the olive burger recipe patty, I tried to keep this pretty simple. Traditionally, the patty is an all-beef and I kept with tradition here. I used fresh garlic, an egg, panko bread crumbs, dried oregano, dried thyme, onion powder and sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. I prefer using Panko bread crumbs in my burger builds because they are more similar to real bread crumbs you can make at home. They also help to bind the burger without drying it out too much.
Cooking burgers on the grill
When it comes to cooking burgers on the grill. You want the grill temperature to be about 450 degree F. To cook the burgers, place them directly over the flame and cook for 3-6 minutes per side. Three minutes per side will give you a burger that is more rare or medium rare. Six minutes per side will get you a burger that is more well done.
Temperature ranges for burgers
- Medium rare: 130 – 135 degrees F
- Medium: 140 – 145 degrees F
- Medium well: 150-155 degrees F
- Well Done: 160 degrees F and over
Tips for making my olive burger recipe
- Should I use cheese? I love cheese so I added provolone cheese to my olive burger recipe. I have left that optional in the recipe below. However, you can also use Swiss or you can leave the cheese off too.
- Make sure to use fresh garlic in both the burger build and the olive sauce.
- For the olive burger sauce, make sure to use green olives that include the pimentos. This is vital for it to be a traditional olive burger recipe.
- You can make the olive burger sauce ahead of time and place it in the refrigerator lightly covered. This recipe will give you more than enough for 4-5 burgers so you can save any additional sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The sauce recipe itself make enough for about 6 burgers.
- If you need a burger press, I bought this one {HERE} after making these since this will be a summer series and I will be making a lot of burger recipes over the next few weeks.
- I overloaded my burgers with sauce. Feel free to use less. I don’t actually think it is possible to use more. 🙂
Looking for an easy side dish?
If you are looking for a side dish to go with my Michigan Olive Burger recipe, try these.
- Classic Macaroni Salad {HERE}
- Oven Baked Potato Wedges {HERE}
- Herb Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad {HERE}
- Cucumber and Radish Salad {HERE}
- Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Chimichurri {HERE}
- Summer Melon Salad with Honey Lime Dressing {HERE}
Looking for more summer recipes?
If you are looking for more recipes to enjoy this summer, try these.
- Smoked Pork Shoulder {HERE}
- Basil Lemon Chicken Salad {HERE}
- Marinated Steak Kabobs {HERE}
- Barbecue Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch {HERE}
- Summer Sausage Skillet with Andouille Sausage {HERE}
- Pull Apart Barbecue Ribs {HERE}
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Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love my Michigan Olive Burger recipe. I also hope you come back again to visit at the farmhouse. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating.
Michigan Olive Burger
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Grill
Ingredients
Ingredients for the olive spread
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sliced green olives with the pimentos
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Ingredients for the Michigan Olive Burger recipe
- 1 1/4 lbs ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 cloves fresh grated or pressed garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- Additional ingredients: Provolone or Swiss cheese, buns and lettuce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the olive burger sauce. Then set it aside. You can make this earlier in the day or even the day before if you like and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator until you need it.
- In another large bowl, combine the ground beef and the other ingredients for the burger mix. Use your clean, washed hands to do so. It really is the best way to incorporate everything.
- Next form the burgers into 1/4 burger patties. You can also use a burger press if you like. Press down in the middle of each patty with your thumb to help keep the burger from bulging in the middle and shrinking. Cover them and set them aside until the grill comes to the proper temperature.
- Heat the grill to 450 degrees. Then 3-6 minutes per side. Three minutes per side will give you a burger that is more rare and 6 minutes per side will give you a burger that is more well done. For a medium burger, you want the temperature to be 140 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Add cheese to the second side while cooking if desired.
- Once the burgers are done, immediately split the bun and add lettuce on the bottom. Then top it with the burger and add the olive sauce to the top of it. You want the olive sauce to be on the warm burger so it has an opportunity to get a little melty.
- Top with the top of the bun and then serve it up with some delicious side dishes.
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