Mahogany Glazed Short Rib Burgers with Herbed Goat Cheese

I can’t tell you how many bland burgers I’ve had.My inspiration for this recipe was to make the most flavorful burger I possibly could. I wanted intense flavors in my burger, and I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite French products. The mahagany glaze is rich, dark, sweet, and tangy. It goes perfectly on the burger, which is made up of ground chuck, ground short rib, chantarelle mushrooms, onion, Dijon, sea salt and pepper. The short ribs add more flavor and a great texture to the burger. The goat cheese spread made from softened salted butter, goat cheese and herbs complements the burger and the mahogany sauce.

Ingredients:

Mahogany Glaze
1 cup Sutter Home Merlot
3 tablespoons black currant preserves
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Patties
2 tablespoons black truffle oil
2 ounces coarsely chopped chanterelle mushrooms
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 lb. boneless beef short ribs
1 1/4 lbs. ground chuck
2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ground grey sea salt (sel gris from Brittany)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread
3 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons salted French butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 brioche hamburger buns, split
6 leaves red leaf lettuce

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the Mahogany Glaze, combine Merlot, preserves, hoisin and vinegar in a large fire-proof saucepan on grill; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, whisking frequently, or until sauce is reduced by half.

To make the patties, begin by heating truffle oil in a large fire-proof skillet on grill. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and golden. Trim away outer fat on short ribs; place short ribs in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the chuck, mushrooms and onion, mustard, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of the Mahogany Glaze. Combine well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Shape into 6 patties.

To make the Herbed Goat Cheese Spread, in a small bowl, stir together goat cheese, butter, tarragon and rosemary until well combined; set aside.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook 5 minutes per side for medium, basting often with mahogany glaze until the desired doneness is reached. 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, spread the herbed goat cheese over the cut sides of bottom and top buns. Place a lettuce leave on each bun bottom, followed by a patty. Add the bun tops and serve.

Makes 6 burgers