Bora’s Zesty Burger
I love to grill for my family and one of their favorite things to eat is a great burger, so I am always trying something new for them.
Ingredients:
Burger Patty:
2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground juniper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground anise
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
½ cup poblano pepper, finely chopped
½ cup beef broth or stock
½ cup club soda
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil for grilling
Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise:
½ cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped (use only the heart of the tomato)
½ teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Toppings
6 slices red onion sliced ¼ inch thick
6 slices large beefsteak tomatoes, ¼ inch thick
12 leaves butter lettuce
2 cups arugula
6 Kaiser rolls
Instructions:
Grind beef chuck or ask the butcher to do it for you. Do not use prepackaged ground beef. Add meat to a large bowl, then add chopped onion, pepper, beef broth and club soda. Mix meat lightly with a wooden spoon. Then add remaining ingredients to mixture and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix, cover and let rest in refrigerator.
Meanwhile, make the roasted red pepper mayonnaise by mixing the mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, basil, pepper and salt. Place mayonnaise in the refrigerator.
Prepare all other ingredients: onions, tomatoes, lettuce and arugula. Split the Kaiser rolls.
Preheat your gas grill. Take the meat mixture out of the refrigerator and divide in 6 equal size patties.
Grill patties on medium-high heat for about 7-9 minutes, turning once. Make sure you get a good sear on both sides to retain the juices. The baking soda will also help retain the juices and prevent the burgers from falling apart on the grill.
Grill the Kaiser rolls and keep warm.
To assemble the burgers: spread an equal amount of roasted red pepper mayonnaise on each Kaiser roll slice. Place burger on top of bottom roll slice, top it with the onion, tomato, arugula, lettuce and then the other half of the roll. Secure with tooth pick and cut burger in half.
Enjoy!