In the spirit of October, 5 Napkin Burger has unveiled their “Oktoberfest” burger featuring a beef knockwurst patty, muenster cheese, black label bacon and mustard onions on a pretzel roll.

The patty itself is meant to mimic a knockwurst sausage in taste by using all-beef seasoned with transitional spices found in sausage such as coriander, garlic, all spice, mace and paprika.

To be true to the fall season, the onions are cooked in hard cider, giving them a sweet and tangy taste.

“I was thinking about making a sausage burger,” said Andy D’Amico, chef and partner of 5 Napkin Burgers. “But I didn’t want to cut up a sausage and put it on a burger.”

Instead, he worked with beef and pork in a first attempt to make the Oktoberfest burger, but was concerned that the burger would overcook easily. He also contemplated using veal, but was nervous that customers would not want their veal knockwurst burger cooked medium or well done given how lean the meat is.

“The burger purists talk about never mixing spices into the meat,” he said. “But for this I wanted it to taste like a knockwurst because we wanted to do something for Oktoberfest. I wound up quite happy with it.”