Cowboy Steak Burger with Texas Brown Gravy and Sundried Tomatoes

In Texas, we call Ribeyes “Cowboy Steaks” and they are delicious.So in this recipe, I naturally used Cowboy steaks to create the foundation for the perfect Texas burger. Then I added brown gravy to the marinade to give it that “home-cooking” feel which Texans enjoy, but I updated the flavor with lots of sundried tomato deliciousness. It creates a great balance between salty, tangy and rich. Slapped between two thick buttered sliced of Texas Toast, well yeehaw, let’s eat!

Ingredients:

4 boneless ribeye beef steaks, approximately a 2/3 pound each
4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 (one-ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
1 cup sundried tomato vinaigrette, store-bought
1/2 pound Applewood smoked bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium sweet Texas onion, sliced
3/4 pound button mushrooms, sliced in quarters
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil and chopped
1 TBS fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
12 pieces of Texas Toast
6 TBS butter, softened
6 thick slices of white cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat the gas grill to medium-high.

Trim away excess fat from steaks. In a large food processor, grind your trimmed ribeye steaks until fine enough to form patties.
In a large bowl, add your ground beef, crushed garlic, black pepper, and salt. Mix gently but thoroughly, being careful not to overwork the mixture. Form the mixture into 6 equal-sized patties and lay in a single layer in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Stir together brown gravy and sundried tomato vinaigrette and pour over patties. Set aside to let rest for at least 30 minutes, while you prepare your mushroom topping.
In a large skillet on the grilltop, cook your bacon pieces until crispy. Remove bacon and add sliced onion to the skillet. Cook for10 minutes, or until soft and starting to turn a caramel color. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are brown. Remove from heat and add your chopped sundried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, sea salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine; cover and keep warm while you cook your burgers.
Put your burger patties on the preheated grill over direct heat. Cook burgers for a total of 4-5 minutes per side. A few minutes before the burgers are cooked to your desired doneness, brush one side of each piece of Texas Toast with ½ TBS of softened butter and put on the grill to toast slightly. One minute before burgers are finished cooking, top each patty with a thick slice of white cheddar cheese. Close grill lid so cheese melts. When everything is ready, assemble your burgers – one cheese-topped patty topped with a mound of mushroom-onion topping in between two thick slices of “toasted” Texas toast. Enjoy!

Serves 6