Sweet Hamburger Relish

This is a hack-style hamburger relish for cooks who want better than ketchup but don’t have time for a from-scratch canning project. Bottled chili sauce and sweet pickle relish do the heavy work, and the seasoning trio (a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of black pepper, and a teaspoon of cinnamon) transforms the combination into something distinctly homemade.

The cinnamon is the unexpected ingredient that makes this work. It sounds like a mistake, but a single teaspoon adds warmth and depth that a relish without it sorely misses. This is borrowed straight from old-school steakhouse cocktail sauces and Greek-American burger spots.

Letting the relish rest in the fridge overnight is the move worth waiting for. The flavors integrate, the cinnamon mellows from sharp to round, and the cayenne heat distributes evenly through the chili sauce.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a mid-grade bottled chili sauce like Heinz or Crosse & Blackwell. Generic store brand chili sauces taste flat and won’t carry the seasoning.
• Stir hard for a full minute to fully suspend the spices, lazy mixing leaves cinnamon clumps that bite oddly.
• Make a double batch and use it on hot dogs, brats, and meatloaf, this relish is more versatile than its hamburger-specific name suggests.
• Store in a clean glass jar with a tight lid, the relish keeps weeks in the refrigerator and the flavor improves over the first week.
• Bring to room temperature before serving on a burger so the cold doesn’t kill the spice notes.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of finely chopped raw onion for crunch and pungency.
• Stir in a tablespoon of yellow mustard for a more diner-style flavor.
• Use spicy pickle relish or chopped jalapeños in place of sweet relish for a hot-and-sweet version.