Hoisin-Glazed Five Spice Burgers with Sweet-Heat Shiitakes & Pea Shoots
Ingredients
Hoisin Glaze:
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce (I prefer House of Tsang brand)
3 tablespoons Sutter Home Gewurztraminer
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
Sweet Heat Shiitakes:
1/4 cup peanut oil
6 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup Cream Sherry
1/4 cup plum sauce (I prefer Koon Chung Sauce Factory brand)
2 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha hot chili sauce
Patties:
2 pounds ground chuck
1/4 cup plum sauce (I prefer Koon Chung Sauce Factory brand)
1/4 cup halved and sliced green onion, including white and green portions
2 tablespoons Sutter Home Gewürztraminer
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 ounce weight pea shoots, laid lengthwise and cut in fourths
6 sesame seed buns
Instructions
• Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium.
• To make the glaze, mix Hoisin sauce, wine and sherry vinegar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• To make the mushrooms, when the grill is ready, heat the peanut oil in a 12-inch nonstick, fire proof skillet on top of the grill rack. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry and stir continuously until sherry is completely reduced. Stir in plum sauce and Sriracha, remove from heat, cover with foil and set aside.
• Prepare a medium-high fire in the charcoal grill, or increase gas grill to medium-high.
• To make the patties, spread the chuck out in a large shallow pan. Distribute plum sauce evenly over meat and sprinkle evenly with green onion, wine, garlic, five-spice and sea salt. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and, with cupped hands, toss one portion of the meat back and forth, from hand to hand, and shape meat into a loose ball. Pat meat portion lightly on a flat surface to form a burger to fit the rolls. Press center of patty down with fingertips to create a slight indentation in the center of the patty. Repeat with remaining meat portions.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the grill rack and baste each patty with glaze. Cover and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes, basting each patty again with the glaze. Turn the patties and brush the cooked side with the glaze. Cook, brushing frequently with the glaze, until done to preference, 4 to 5 minutes longer for medium. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.
• To assemble the burgers, on each bun bottom place an equal portion of pea shoots, a patty, and an equal portion of mushrooms. Add the bun tops and serve. Makes 6 burgers.