Pineapple 5-Spice Glazed Burgers with Beet & Carrot Slaw

Being in the process of planning a tropical destination wedding, my palette is trending that way too. Most recently, I was inspired by a salad I was served in Fort Lauderdale. It was topped with a tangy dressing and tiny strips of raw beets, which tasted just like carrots! It was so fresh and pretty to look at, that I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate the beets into all types of meals. When I wrote this recipe, I had a pineapple sitting on my counter waiting to be grilled, but wanting to make this an all-season recipe, I used canned in its place.

Ingredients:

Pineapple Five-Spice Glaze:
1 can frozen pineapple juice
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons five spice powder

Beet & Carrot Slaw:
¼ cup Greek yogurt, full fat
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 large raw red beets, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 large raw carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 bunch chives, washed and cut into 2-inch pieces

Patties:
2 pounds ground chuck
10 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 slices prosciutto

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for basting the patties
6 sesame seeded hamburger buns, split
6 wooden skewers

Instructions:

Heat the grill to medium-high.

In a medium-sized fireproof saucepan, whisk the pineapple juice and ketchup. Simmer over medium-high heat on the grill, until reduced by half and thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the five-spice powder and set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss with the beets, carrots and chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until burger assembly.

With a spoon, gently mix the meat, pineapple, salt and pepper in a large bowl, until evenly combined. Form into six equal-sized patties. Cover and set aside for grilling.

Place a fireproof skillet on the grill, over medium-high heat, and cook the prosciutto until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Turn the grill to high. Brush the patties with the oil, place on the grill, cover and cook about 6-7 minutes per side for a medium-cooked burger or until desired wellness. About a minute before the burgers are ready, place the buns cut side down on the outer edges of the grill until lightly toasted. Remove buns and patties from grill.

To assemble the burgers, spoon a little pineapple glaze onto bottom of buns, add 2 slices prosciutto each, and top with another spoonful of glaze. Follow with the burger patties, generous spoonfuls of coleslaw and bun tops. Secure each burger with a wooden skewer, cut in half and serve.