Marco Polo Burger – East Meets West

This is a favorite at The Tampa Bay Bucks tailgate parties (GO BUCKS). I moved to Tampa Bay area from New York in 1986. In New York sausage and peppers are made the Italian way. I decide to add a new twist to this New York Italian favorite by removing the tomato sauce and adding the Baste & Glaze and Hoisin Sauce. I only hope that I was able to write out the instructions correctly. I usually just put a little of this and some of that and I usually make most of this recipe by taste. The crisp sausage burger and the sweet Baste and Glaze, combined with the tangy Hoisin Sauce makes this recipe a favorite to all that taste it. Guaranteed you’ll love it when you make it or I’ll cook it for you at our next Bucs Tailgate Party.
Thanks for letting me introduce one of my favorites to you and I hope it will become one of yours.

Ingredients:

Burger Ingredients:
2 lbs Sweet Italian Sausage removed from casing
4 ozs Kikkoman Baste & Glaze
2 ozs Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce (Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce can be purchased in most Oriental Food stores.)
3 ozs. Panko Bread Crumbs
4 ozs. Chopped Vidalia onion
½ tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Black pepper

Basting Sauce Ingredients:
2 ozs Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce
1 oz. Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sugar

Onion & Pepper for Burger topping:
1 ½ cups Vidalia onion Julian cut
1 cup Yellow pepper Julian cut
1 cup Green pepper Julian cut
1 cup Red pepper Julian cut
1 oz. Olive oil
2 tbls. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
6 oz. Kikkoman Baste & Glaze
4 tbls. Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce
1 ½ tbl. Garlic powder
¼ tsp. Black pepper

Misc. Ingredients
2-3 tbls Vegetable oil, for brushing the grill rack
6 Publix’s Supermarket, French Bread Hamburger Rolls, split

Instructions:

Directions for Burgers:
After removing sausage meat from the casing break up meat in pieces until it looks like ground meat. Mix all burger ingredients by hand and form 6 Burgers of equal size.
Preheat Weber Grill to medium-high and brush grill rack with Misc. Ingredient vegetable oil. When grill has reached medium-high heat, baste both sides of burgers with Basting Sauce Mixture and place them on grill. Cook burgers for about 10-12 Minutes on each side with grill cover closed, or until well cooked, basting the top of each burger prior to turning with Basting Sauce Mixture. When the burgers are cooked remove them from grill and place on bottom half of buns. Top with 2-3 tbls. of cooked Onion & Pepper Mixture. The topping should be juicy. Place top of bun on burger and serve.

Directions for Basting Sauce:
Take the 2 ozs. of Hoisin Sauce, 1 oz. Soy Sauce, and add the 1 tsp. of sugar and mix well. This mixture is used to baste the burgers prior to and while they’re cooking. The mixture should cause the burgers to become crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Directions for Onions & Pepper:
On a pre heated medium-high grill and using a grill safe sauce pan heat the 1 oz of Olive oil and then add all the Onions & Pepper ingredients in a sauce pan. Sautee for about 20 minutes covered, stirring occasionally until onions and peppers are soft. Remove from grill and keep sauce pan covered and warm until serving.