First, Travaasa Austin started a 3.25-acre organic farm. Then, it opened the restaurant to people who are not staying at the secluded resort just west of the city.
Now, the vacation (or staycation, if you’re local) destination has launched a food truck to bring a taste of chef Ben Baker’s food to Austin breweries, farmers markets and even office buildings. The Travaasa Farm Truck, as it is known, launched a new menu recently that includes a burrito stuffed with the same fresh ramen noodles used by Austin’s most popular noodle shops, as well as dishes that use wild boar meat from Broken Arrow.
The item that caught my eye was the Texas Depression Burger, named after an era when cooks had to stretch ground beef by adding onions to the mixture. Their burger, made with a ground brisket, bacon jam and a sriracha mayo, looks nothing like the burgers of that time, but I always appreciate any nod toward culinary history. You can find out where the truck will be next at travaasa.com/austin/food-truck.
Travaasa’s Texas Depression Burger
1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 lb. (80/20) ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, sliced as thin as you can with a mandolin or a peeler
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp. bacon jam (homemade or store-bought)
2 slices Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp. sriracha or other spicy mayo
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 buns (sweet buns, preferred)
1 Roma tomato, sliced
Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, to medium heat and add the oil. Place half the onions in a pile in the pan. Add half of the ground beef on top of the onions season with salt and pepper and press down firmly.
When the fat starts to melt on the beef, take the back side of the spatula and press down as hard as you can and continue cooking the burger for another 30 seconds. After that smash, carefully flip the burger.
As soon as you flip the burger add about half of the bacon jam and a slice of jack cheese. The cheese traps the bacon jam on top of the burger, preventing it from melting all over the pan. The burger is done when the cheese melts.
Toast the bun and place the tomato on the bottom bun and the patty on top. Spread mayonnaise on the top bun and place a heaping handful of plucked cilantro on top of that. Close the burger and get a napkin (or several) and serve. Makes two burgers.
— Travaasa executive chef Ben Baker
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