Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Gourmet Burger

Ingredients

1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground chuck
3 tablespoons Steak Seasoning
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups Sutter Home White Zinfandel
1 15-ounce can of beef chili
Vegetable oil for brushing on grill rack
6 Hamburger Buns
9 tablespoons Dijon mustard
36 quarter-inch thick rounds of bread and butter pickles
6 quarter-inch slices of bun-size tomato
2 cups drained and squeezed sauerkraut
1 ½ cups finely chopped white onion
1 ½ cups medium shredded cheddar

Instructions

Forming the Patties Handling the meat as little as possible, combine the sirloin, chuck, steak seasoning, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture into six equal parts and form patties to fit the buns. Pour two cups of the wine into a shallow glass baking dish that will accommodate a single layer of six patties. Place the patties in the wine in the baking dish, pour the remainder of the wine over the patties, and allow the patties to marinate for 30 minutes. Occasionally spoon wine over the patties. After 30 minutes, remove the patties to a platter and cover them with a plastic wrap to take them to the grill. At the grill, set them aside. Heating the Grill and the Chili Heat the grill on high for 15 minutes, then lower to medium. In a sauce pan, heat the chili on the grill. When it is bubbly, remove the chili from heat and set it aside. Cooking the Patties and Toasting the Buns With the grill on medium heat, brush the grill with vegetable oil, place the patties on the grill, cover, and cook to desired doneness, turning once. Cook 4 to 6 minutes on each side. During the final minutes of grilling the patties, place the buns, cut side down, at the outer edges of the grill to lightly toast. Reheating the Chili When the patties and buns are done, place the chili back on the grill to warm. Assembling the Burgers Then begin assembling the burgers. Smear the cut sides of each bun with equal parts of Dijon mustard. Then on each bun, place six bread and butter pickle rounds, a slice of tomato, a patty, 1/3 cup of sauerkraut, 1/4 cup chopped onions, 1/4 cup cheddar, and one-sixth of the chili. Add the bun top and serve. Makes 6 burgers