bbq pork burger - a riff on the mcrib

a good summertime, or any time burger, especially since (currently) pork is cheaper than beef.

we took a pound of ground pork and mixed in a couple of tablespoons of homemade bbq rub, formed them into patties and cooked them - we air-fried this batch since it was too windy outside to bbq.

while those were cooking we got some bbq sauce ready - either homemade or store bought - sliced up some onion and pickles, and got our buns out (hee hee)

 

when the burgs were done we slathered them with the sauce, and added them to the buns with the onions and pickles.  our bun to burger ratio was a bit off, but that's ok.

 

 

EVERYONE liked these, including the picky girl, which is saying something.  i can't wait to make these on the bbq a ton this summer!

 

dinner - burger bowls

 roast up some diced potatos, or cook some fries or tots.  cook some ground beef with whatever seasonings you like.  make a burger sauce from mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish and season it up.  layer your bowl with potatos, meat, lettuce, cheese, sauteed onions, tomato, the sauce, or whatever you like on your burgers.

Burgers

A lot has changed in my life lately, but there is one constant - burgers. 

Ha!  Not really.  Except sort of.  

We love burgers a lot.  We rarely go more than a week or two without making them.  

And make them from scratch.  No pre-made patties around here!

I have lots of books and recipes for burgers, but I mostly just throw in whatever we have around.

When I was a kid, my mom had a friend who made us burgers a few times.  They had onion soup mix powder and raisins in them.  Heavenly!  I've never tried to make them because I'm afraid they won't live up to my memories, and it's a good summertime memory.

Lately I've been making the same burger and no one is complaining.  It's juicy and savory and perfect.

A pound of meat, some dehydrated onion, a couple of spoons of hoisin.  Mix it together, form 4 patties and barbecue.  BBQ sauce and cheese are a nice touch but not necessary.

Huh.  I think I know what's for dinner tomorrow...

Green Chile Cheeseburger

I have always liked hamburgers. But when I was pregnant, I LOVED them. I ate them nearly every week, more often if possible. We mostly made our own at home, but we did eat them out occasionally - a few times at Red Robin (teriyaki burger with pineapple), if I was lucky enough to get my prenatal appointment scheduled just before lunch. I was not above fast food burgers either, and may have waddled over to McDonalds (more than once) on my lunch break for a hamburger (regular burger, extra ketchup). At home my favorite was a burger cooked on the barbecue with barbecue sauce and topped with cheese and relish. I never got very fancy, because spending time on fancy burgers meant it took longer before I could start eating.

We haven't had burgers very often lately, and I'm not sure why. It seems I am always looking for fast and easy and cheap and healthy meals, and I guess I forgot that a burger can fit that bill. Hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

We were talking about burgers a few weeks ago and this recipe popped into my head - Robert Olguin's Buckhorn Burger recipe from Bobby Flay's Throwdown cookbook.

A green chile cheeseburger sounds like a lot of work, but this one really isn't. Cook your burger, and while it's cooking, heat a small pan, with a touch of oil, and add some diced red onion. Let that cook for a couple of minutes, then divide into piles (1 pile for each burger you are cooking). Top each pile with some cheese and let it sit over low heat to melt the cheese and soften the onions. In another pan mix some diced green chiles (we used canned) and some granulated garlic and warm through. Spoon the chiles on to the onion and cheese piles. Put your burgers on the buns, top the patty's with the onion/cheese/chile piles, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard.

Yum, yum.

Another mighty fine burger

I haven't had much in the way of cravings while pregnant. Haven't sent Scott out late at night for ice cream or chocolate. Haven't been eating weird combinations of potato chips and jam or bananas and cheese. I do lust after certain foods from time to time, but unless they are readily available I just shrug it off and deal with it.

Except for hamburgers. Gah, I think about them so often the last month or so. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers. With bacon and lettuce and tomato. With ketchup only. With bbq sauce. Hang on, I've got to wipe up all this drool. I will admit that a couple of times in the last month I've given in and treated myself to a burger. But only a couple. Cause really, this could get out of control VERY easily.

So around these parts, I may have been talking about hamburgers; may have mentioned them a few (dozen) times in the past couple of days. And Scott was nice enough to suggest we have burgers for dinner last night.

I'd recently found a recipe I was dying to try from Rachael Ray for Asian pork burgers that she then cut into appetizer sized pieces. We made some changes.

Asian Turkey Burgers

makes 4

1 lb ground turkey
1 green onion, minced
1 Tb soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
juice from 1/2 of a small orange

1 Tb honey
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 of an english cucumber, sliced into thin half moons
1 carrot, shredded

1 handful lettuce, shredded

4 large tortillas
hoisin sauce

Whisk together the honey and vinegar. Stir in the cucumber and carrot. Set aside.

Mix the ground turkey, onions, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, hot pepper and orange juice. Form into 4 patties.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a little vegetable oil. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through.

While the burgers are cooking, spread approximately 1 Tb (or to your taste) with hoisin sauce on each tortilla. Top with lettuce and cucumber carrot salad.


When your turkey burgers are cooked through, place one on each tortilla.


Fold up the 4 sides of the tortilla, and turn the package over so the seam is at the bottom. Cut in half.


Eat and enjoy with plenty of napkins to mop up the juicy goodness. Plan to make again soon.

A Tale of Two Burgers

We've been grilling fools over here lately, and I wanted to share 2 fabulous burger recipes with you. They are so good. You should make them.

First up is a burger from the latest Food Network Magazine. The lead story on the cover is Best Burgers From Bobby Flay, promoting his new book Burgers, Fries and Shakes. I saw enough reviews on blogs to know that this is a book worth owning. I was drawn to the recipe for his Dallas Burger, a burger with homemade bbq sauce, dry rub, and coleslaw. It's a recipe he created for his wife, who loves bbq'd brisket. We love brisket too, so this was the one to try first.

The burger is a little time consuming - if you go whole hog you make not only the burger patties from scratch, but also the dry rub, coleslaw and bbq sauce. But not an awful amount of time. Be patient, it's worth it.


This burger is SO GOOD, and it's the bbq sauce and coleslaw that really make it fabulous.


Look at that! We had them 2 nights in a row. I think I'm drooling a little right now.....

Dallas Burger

_______________________________________

The other burger is also from Food Network, from their Ultimate Recipe Showdown show. I've only seen the show once, but luckily for me, it was the Burger episode, the episode that brought this burger into my life.

Sorry if I sound a little dramatic, but damn, this Vietnamese Bistro Burger rocks.


You may recall my recent post about how much we love and miss Vietnamese food. This is another easy flavorful Vietnamese recipe that we will be making a lot of. The patty is made of ground pork seasoned with lime, ginger, soy and fish sauce. Make sure you make the pickled carrot and daikon salad, it's fabulous on the burger.


I could go on for days about how wonderful this burger is. I won't though. I'll just say one more time it's easy and delicious and hopefully you are going to try these, cause you'll love them.


Vietnamese Bistro Burger

H is for...

H is for Hamburger.
Who: The Hamburger.
What: A Hamburger is a patty of meat (beef, pork, chicken or other) or vegetables that is fried or grilled and served on a bun, usually with condiments like ketchup and mustard and lettuce. Adding cheese turns it into a Cheeseburger.
Where: While ground meat patties have been around since the 1200's, the modern hamburger was created in the late 1800's or early 1900's in the US. Many towns claim to be the home of the first hamburger, but it may have been first served at the 1904 St Louis Fair.
When: Hamburgers really hit the mainstream in the 1950's when fast food restaurants started popping up everywhere.
Why: Burgers don't have that much value nutrition-wise. You can make them healthier by using lean meats, no oil, and no cheese or mayo. But what's the fun in that?

Standard Burger toppings in North America would include ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, lettuce tomatos and onions. Some like to add barbecue sauce or hot sauce, hot peppers, bacon, avocado, salsa, even a fried egg.
Australians add canned beets, fried eggs and pineapple rings to theirs. In England, HP Sauce is a standard condiment.

Speaking of nutrition, at Hardee's, a popular chain in the US, their 1/3 Lb Thickburger has 850 calories and 57 grams of fat. Their Monster Thickburger has 1410 calories and 107 grams of fat. In-N-Out Burger's Double Double has 670 calories and 41 grams of fat. A Big Mac from McDonald's has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat. I know, I'm such a party pooper.


Big Mouth Mexican Burgers
These are just guidelines, not an actual recipe. Make your burger mixture as you normally would, but instead of salt and pepper and what ever other spices you would add, use taco seasoning and add some shredded cheese- cheddar, mozza or a jack cheese. Form the patties and cook as usual. Instead of the usual ketchup and mayo, use guacamole and salsa (i made a black bean, corn and tomato salsa) instead.
Muy Bueno!


I took a picture of these Big Macs and then deleted it! Argh!
Homemade Big Mac
adapted from Fast Food Fix
makes 2 burgers

10 oz extra lean ground beef
salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
2 tb finely chopped onion
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 or 4 slices processed cheese
pickle rounds
Big Mac Sauce

Big Mac Sauce
1/3 cup low fat mayo
2 tsp dill pickle relish
2 tsp ketchup
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tb finely chopped red onion
Blend all sauce ingredients together and chill until ready to use.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Form into 4 4" patties. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Split all 4 buns in half. You will need 3 bun pieces for each burger - one top and two bottoms. If you wish, you can use 3 buns, one with 2 tops and a bottom and one with 1 top and a bottom. It's up to you. Toast all the bun pieces in the pan until golden. Set aside. Cook the burger patties until done.
To assemble the burgers:
Spread the Big Mac Sauce on all the buns. Put one bottom bun on the plate and top with one patty. Put a piece of cheese on the patty and top with pickles. Place the second bun bottom on top and the next patty. If you are using two pieces of cheese per burger, put the second piece of cheese on the patty. Top with shredded lettuce and the burger bun top.
Serve.



We won't speak of calories and fat right now. Here is my Fatburger Combo with Rootbeer from Fatburger. Oh, the things I do for you!

Previous Alphabet Posts:
A is for Artichoke
B is for Beet
C is for Carrot
D is for Dogs
E is for Egg
F is for Fondue
G is for Garlic

Turkey Burgers

Good Lord, I swear that my food tastes better than it looks in these pictures. If you're ever in Calgary, stop by and show me how to use my camera properly. I'll buy you a beer.

I got this idea from an older copy of Organic Style magazine, but changed it a bit to suit my tastes.

Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
salt
pepper
brie cheese, cut into slices
4 slices of ham
spinach leaves
mango chutney
4 slices french bread

Mix the turkey, onion, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties and cook on your bbq or a grill pan. Meanwhile, toast the bread. Spread the spinach on the bread and put a piece of ham on each sandwich. When the burgers are done, lay the slices of brie on the burgers and cover to let the cheese melt a bit. Then put the burgers on the bread, top with some chutney and serve.