Venetian-Style Portabella Burger

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

Ingredients

3 pounds of freshly ground chuck, 80% lean
¾ cup of Sutter’s Home Pinot Grigio
3 medium sized cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
6 large ‘Artisan style’ bakery rolls (about 4â€Â in diameter), sliced in half
Extra virgin olive oil
6 large portabella mushroom caps, cleaned
Extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 large slices of mozzarella cheese
6 slices of smoked bacon, cooked and cut in half
6 beefsteak tomato slices (center slices only)

 

Instructions

In a large bowl, add ground chuck. Break chuck apart gently with a fork to make a fluffy texture. Sprinkle chuck with the Pinot Grigio, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Gently toss with a fork to distribute seasonings. Divide meat mixture equally into six-½ pound portions. Wet your hands with cool water, and gently form into 5â€Â diameter patties, of equal thickness, keeping your hands wet all of the time. (This prevents meat from sticking to your hands and prevents meat from drying out.) Set aside. Brush grilling surface with olive oil. Turn on a gas grill to medium high heat. Leave one section without heat. Brush olive oil on cut sides of bakery rolls. When grill is hot, grill the rolls (cut side down) until lightly toasted. Set aside. Brush portabella mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with the ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Place the mushrooms on grill. When grill marks appear on bottom side, flip over and when marks appear on second side, set them off to the ‘just warm’ part of the grill to finish cooking. Brush both sides of patties with extra-virgin olive oil and place on grill. Check after 5 minutes, and reposition if necessary, to ensure even cooking. Flip patties when the underside is nice and brown, about 5 more minutes, depending on your grill heat. Check portabellas for doneness (knife should go through with just a bit of pressure.) Place closer to heat if necessary, to finish cooking. Finish cooking burgers to a temperature of 150 degrees. (Test with an instant read thermometer by placing sideways into the patties.) Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each burger. Close grill lid. Check progress after ½ minute. When cheese has melted, remove burgers (They will continue to cook a bit after removing from grill.) Place each burger on toasted roll bottoms. Top with two half strips of bacon a slice of tomato and one of the portabella caps, flat side down. Cover with top of roll. Secure with thin skewer, if necessary. Serve immediately. Serves six This burger goes well with a fresh fruit or garden salad.