Note from Seth: This post is sponsored by Gridiron Metal Works. Derrick is a Purdue fan who sent me a video of him and his wife storming the field against MSU last weekend. Quick look at their next scheduled opponent and YUP we are all very good friends with Purdue right now (here’s some chopped up Hoosiers, good buddy)! He also makes officially licensed grilling and decor products, where “makes” in this sentence actually means “CUTS HIGH-QUALITY STEEL WITH PRECISION LASERS,” so you can do your alma mater proud for years to come. Check out his stuff at gridironmetal.com, and maybe accidentally drop that link where people who buy you holiday gifts are looking.

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Wow…These last 2 weeks have been a roller coaster ride like no other. I don’t know about you, but after watching games all day, I tend to relax with a bourbon or 2 and watch cooking vids on YouTube. I go down some rabbit holes that take me days to get out of. One minute I’m watching a video on NYC style pizza and the next I’m watching how giraffes fight. (You’re Welcome BTW) About a month ago, I came across a video on something called a “Chopped Cheese” AKA… “A Chop Cheese” sandwich. This originated in NYC and is found in bodegas throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens for the most part. It’s made on a griddle and is comprised of ground beef, onions, and melted American cheese and served on a hero roll, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and ketchup. As soon as I saw the first video, I knew this was going to make it on our tailgating rotation. It’s basically NYC’s version of a Philly cheesesteak. Let’s try this for the first time together. Honestly, I haven’t made this yet. Thanks again to Derrick and the great people at GRIDIRONMETAL for sponsoring these posts and also for providing a HUGE upset last week. Way to go Boilermakers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 burger patties (Can use store bought pre-made patties)
• Yellow onion - Chopped
• Hoagie Buns
• American Cheese slices – (DO NOT USE FANCY CHEESE)
• Ketchup
• Mayo
• Lettuce
• Tomato

[After THE JUMP: Some like it loose]

DIRECTIONS:

Light your charcoal and get them white hot. Once you have a hot bed of coals, it’s time to spread them out on one side of the grill.

 

Place a griddle pan or regular cast iron over the hot coals. Add some oil. This Traeger pan from my pellet smoker works well in this Weber kettle.

Once the oil is hot, toss on your chopped onions. I love onions!!! You can add more or less depending on your love level for onions.

As the onions are getting soft and beautifully caramelized, grab a hoagie bun and toss it on the corner of the griddle. We want the exterior to get a little crisp and warm. I got these from Sam’s Club and they work great. Tasty and cheap.

Toss on your burger patties and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I believe the bodegas use some GOYA Adobo seasoning, but I don’t have any of that. Next time.

After 2 mins on a 450 degree griddle, it’s time to flip the burger patties. We want this char and crunch from the burger. It adds some nice texture to the sandwich. Keep those onions moving as well. Notice the nice char on the hoagie roll as well.

After flipping the burgers, give it 30 seconds and then start chopping with your spatula. After fully chopped up, incorporate the onions into one big perfect mess.

Let these 2 get to know each other for a few mins and keep that caramelization going. The fatty bits from the burger patties and the onions juices are so perfect together.

Line the meat/onion mixture up in a football like shape and add 3 slices of our glorious RED, WHITE AND BLUE American Cheese. If you haven’t seen you dogs in a few hours, they will come running when that cheese slice is unwrapped. GUARANTEED.

As the cheese is melting, give that hoagie roll a big ol’ helping of ketchup and mayo, some shredded lettuce and some tomato slices. Then, take a gross looking picture like the one below. HA. It’s better than it looks, I promise.

Now take your big spatula that you bought from Gridiron Metal and add it to your hoagie roll.

Load it up as much as you can. Now if you can wrap it in foil or some sort of sandwich wrap, do it. Give it about 5 mis to rest, much like a steak. This helps everything become one and the hoagie roll with soften from the steam just a bit.

I am in love with the sandwich. I will be making this again and again in the upcoming weeks. For the purists out there, let me know if I left anything out. I want to improve on this one if possible. I have never been to NYC but will be heading that way soon and will make this a must have. Next stop, Philly. I need to try one of those cheesesteak things I keep hearing about. As I was trying to make and enjoy this sammich, we got hit with a huge lightning storm. This made the doggos extra clingy. They may have wanted a few bites too. Chloe Bear doesn’t stray too far from a possible American Cheese wrapper crinkle. Follow me on Instagram at @GOBLUEBBQ. Go Blue!