The Born on the Bayou Burger!

Ingredients

¾ cup Pecan halves and pieces
1 bottle Garlic or regular hot sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted whole butter, softened
6 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
RED CABBAGE/APPLE SLAW
½ lb thinly slice red cabbage
1 semi sweet apple like a Rome or Cortland or Crispin, peeled and shredded
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ cup mayo
3 tablespoons red wine or cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Patties
2 pounds ground chuck
3 Tablespoons Sutter Home White Zinfandel
2 tablespoons Garlic or regular hot sauce
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 Soft Kaiser rolls sliced and spread lightly with mayo and sprinkled with a little garlic powder

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl add your shredded cabbage and apple and seasonings. Mix well and, set aside, keep cold. Mix 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce and the softened butter until well mixed. Place on a piece of saran wrap, roll up into a sausage shape and chill. When cold, slice into 6 slices and keep chilled. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Heat a pan on the grill and add 1 Tablespoon of plain butter. Add the pecans and toss until they start to toast and brown slightly. Add 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce and turn your head so as not to breathe the fumes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at least to room temp., add to the ground chuck. To make the patties, combine the chuck, Sutter Home White Zinfandal, pecan mixture, hot sauce, salt & pepper in a bowl. Handle the meat just enough to mix in the wine, salt and pecans. Divide the mixture into 6 patties large enough to fit the rolls. When the grill and your burgers are ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. During the final minutes of grilling the patties, place a slice of the chilled hot sauce butter on top of each patty. Top that with 1-1/2 slices of the Pepper Jack cheese. Meanwhile, place the Kaiser rolls on a side of the grill with no flames to get warm and toasted. Cover the grill to allow the cheese to melt. To assemble the burgers, remove the Kaiser rolls onto a serving platter and place a burger patty on each. Top with a healthy sized dollop of the slaw (season to taste with extra hot sauce as you like it) and serve with lots of napkins and chilled White Zinfandel. Makes 6 burgers