fully loaded smash burger + special sauce

thank you to BET for sponsoring this week's newsletter!

So, back when I was an agency girlie I worked BET weekend for years and it was so much fun, especially the parties lol. For this week’s newsletter recipe, I partnered up with BET to do a special smash burger in honor of BET Experience Eats at Fan Fest and highlight some of the food vendors that will be there this weekend, including one of my faves Marathon Burger!

Details below for BETX Fan Fest & recipe below for all to enjoy!

Fan Fest is completely free & you can register at www.BETexperience.com

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers)

• 1lb wagyu ground beef (honestly, treat yourself)

  • if you can’t find wagyu you can grab 80/20 ground beef. Tip: 80/20 means the amount of fat that is in beef so a good rule of thumb is to always buy 80/20 (20% fat) & you want all the fat when making burgers

  • I like to roll them and fit them into 1/3 measuring cups

• 1 white onion, thinly sliced

  • tip: use a mandolin to get super thin onion slices

• iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded on the mandolin

• martin’s potato buns

  • let’s be real here, the only buns that matter for burgers & toasted in a little butter in the cast iron pan

• 2 American cheese slices

  • the best meting cheese…we do not hate on American cheese here!

• sliced tomatoes

  • seasoned with flakey finishing salt & fresh cracked black pepper

• sliced cherry peppers

Special Sauce

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup mayo

• 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard

• 1/3 cup dill pickles, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon each fresh dill, chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning

• 1-2 teaspoons of Valentina hot sauce (or whatever hat sauce you like)

• kosher salt & pepper, to taste

Tools

• mandolin

• prep bowls

• cast iron

• flipping spatula or burger smash

Directions

1. Special sauce: combine all ingredients together for special sauce & taste to adjust seasoning! I like a little spice to mine so I added more hot sauce lol duh!

2. In a screaming hot cast iron on medium high heat, add the ball of meat and immediately press down to make it flat with a burger smash, season with salt & pepper.

   1. tip: you don’t need any oil because the burger has enough fat! oil = fat!

3. The burger is going to cook quick about 3 minutes, depending on your stove to develop a nice crust!

4. Flip so the other side cooks & gets nice and charred, about 2 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

5. Add American cheese slices & let melt.

6. Top burger buns with special sauce, melty cheesy crusty burger and whatever toppings you like! My fave toppings are lettuce, tomato, onion & hot cherry peppers and enjoy!

BET Experience Fan Fest Details

LA, Come Through! June 7th & 8th (It’s) Fan Fest At Bet Experience! Performing Live! Glorilla… Mustard…Bossman Dlow… and more! Then It’s Everyone’s Favorite Event -The Bet Experience Celebrity Basketball Game! You Never Know Who’s Gonna Pull Up! You Can Expect a Reunion From The Full Cast Of 106 & Park Hosted By Druski and much more. Come and catch a vibe At All the Queen’s Men’s’ – “Club Eden” or pop In for self-care at Tyler Perry’s Sistas Salon! Get your food and shop from your favorite vendors Including Marathon Burger, New York Chopped Cheese and Wings & Waffles! BET Experience Fan Fest presented By Shea Moisture at the LA Convention Center! Saturday and Sunday, June 7thAnd 8.Th Register Now For Free (At) Bet Experience Dot Com.

BETX Celeb Basketball Game:

The BETX Celebrity Basketball Game returns with an all-star lineup, surprise guests, and high-energy action you won’t want to miss. Hosted by Bow Wow and coached by Offset, Matt Barnes, Flau'jae, and Ty Young, it’s more than a game—it’s culture in motion.

Tickers are exclusively available on the BETx App

BETX Dance Competition

It’s LA vs The Bay — and the battle is ON.

Pull up to the BETX Dance Competition at the LA Convention Center on Sunday, June 8 and witness the ultimate face-off in West Coast dance culture!

LA Teams

• Tommy The Clown

• Roc’co The Clown

• Set It Off Crew

The Bay

• Turf Inc

• The Real Turffeinz

• Best Alive Crew

BETX Industry Talks

Where passion meets the playbook. Industry Con is an insightful experience designed for emerging creatives and future execs looking to break into the world of Black entertainment – film, TV, music, gaming and social media.

Through a series of curated panels, masterclasses, and fireside chats led by seasoned industry professionals, writers, content creators, artists, actors and actresses, attendees will gain real-world insights, practical tools, and honest advice on navigating the business behind the scenes.

BETX Eats

BETX Eats brings culture to the table with immersive food experiences, live demos, and bold flavors curated for the BETX Experience audience.

Vendors: Marathon Burger, Wings & Waffles, NY chopped Cheese, Bridgetown Roti, Ahh Huevo, and withBee

Saturday, June 7th

• "My Mama Cooks Better"

• "Cheers to that" with Deneesia Head

• Burger King Block Party w/ B Hen

Sunday, June 8th

• “Breakfast with Lola” – Chef Jon Harris & Lola Brooke

• BETX Eats Pastry Showdown – with Nicole Redd-McIntosh, Meyoshi Anders, and Devonna Banks. Judges: Chef Mando, Adelara Adekoya, Laurent Correra

• Burger King Block Party w/ B HEN