Sweet Peach & So Co Barbecue Burgers

After living in Georgia for a few years, I wanted to create a recipe that brought me back south. I wanted to combine the sweet flavors of onions and peaches with the smokey, salty flavor of barbecue.

Ingredients:

BBQ Sauce:
2 Tbsps Butter
1 Small Spanish Onion
2-3 Cloves Garlic
3/4 Cup Southern Comfort
1 1/2 Cups Peach Nectar
2 Cups Ketchup
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsps Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Molasses
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper

Grilled Peaches:
6 Firm, Ripe Peaches
1 Lime

Grilled Onions:
1 Large Red Onion
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Dried Chipotle Pepper
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

Burger Rub:
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Lowry’s Season Salt
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Paprika

Burgers:
2 1/2 lbs Ground Pork (at least 20% fat blend)
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

12 Strips of Thick-Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon
Smoked White Cheddar Cheese
6 Split Kaiser Rolls

Instructions:

For the BBQ sauce, dice the white onion and mince the garlic cloves. Using a grill-safe sauce pan over Med/High heat, melt the butter and cook the diced onion until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook it until it becomes aromatic, about a minute or two. Add the Southern Comfort to deglaze the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and place the onion, garlic and Southern Comfort mixture into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and pour the mixture back into the sauce pan. Add the peach nectar, ketchup and all other ingredients and cook for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Line a piece of foil with the bacon strips and curl up the edges to prevent the grease from spilling on the grill. Grill the bacon over indirect medium heat (375-400 degrees) until the bacon is cooked, about 20-30 minutes depending on the grill. When cooked, move the slices to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Slice the red onion into about 1/2″ thick slices. Brush olive oil over both sides of the onion slices and season with the chipotle pepper and Kosher salt. Cook on the grill over medium/direct heat for 7-10 minutes until tender, flipping the onions half way.

Wash and cut the peaches in half and remove all the pits. Slice the peaches into 1/2″ thick slices and place on the grill over medium/direct heat. Cook about 2 minutes per side until the peaches are tender. Squeeze the lime juice over the hot peaches.

Divide up the ground pork into six burger patties about 3/4″ thick with a slight dimple in the middle. Combine all the ingredients for the rub together in a separate bowl. Coat the burgers with olive oil and cover each side of the burgers in the rub.

Place the Kaiser rolls on the grill to toast the top and bottom rolls. Turn the grill up to high, and cook the pork burgers for about 4 minutes on each side, flipping only once. When the burgers have about a minute left to cook, place two slices of the smoked white cheddar on each burger and close the lid to melt.

To assemble the burgers, put a couple teaspoons of the BBQ sauce on the bottom roll and top with the burger and 4 half strips of bacon. Then place 5-7 rings of red onion on the burger, add another tablespoon of BBQ sauce, add 2-3 slices of peaches and top with the Kaiser roll. Slice each burger in half to serve.