Best Dressed Burgers

At my house, I am the Chief Cook and my honey is the Chief Bottle Washer. It’s an arrangement that works well for us, as we both excel at our respective duties. However, on “grill nights” the cooking goes to my dear husband, Stevie the Wonder Griller. Give me a stove and I’ll make you something good to eat … give me a grill and I’ll either make extra-dry jerky or hockey pucks, depending on the day.

So today, I have a couple of fantastic burger recipes for you PLUS two grilling tips: 1) Get a smoker box for your gas grill … it will dramatically improve the flavor of your grilled foods, and 2) If you have a specific grilling question, post it below. I’ll have my honey respond, since I possess no talent in this area!

What I do know is that I adore our Recipes for Best-Dressed Burgers booklet – every time I read it, I am challenged to pick just one recipe – hence the reason I have two to share with you today! So this weekend, fire up the grill, put your honey to work and make our Honey Apple Grill Burgers and Let’s Luau! Burgers. Each requires just four ingredients, and both are grill-tastic!

j*a*N*e

Honey Apple Grilled Burgers

Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb. ground beef
• 3/4 lb. ground pork
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Honey BBQ Seasoning & Rub
• Honey Apple Grill Sauce
• 5-6 hamburger buns

Directions
Combine first 4 ingredients; shape into 5-6 patties. Grill or fry to desired doneness; brush Honey Apple Grill Sauce on during last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Serve on buns topped with additional Honey Apple Grill Sauce to taste. Makes 5-6 servings.

Testing Notes:

• The recipe calls for half ground beef and half ground pork, but you can use all beef or all pork if you wish.
• I find the best way to mix up these ingredients is with your hands. Since raw meat kinda freaks me out, I wear disposable plastic gloves for this job!
• The applesauce adds a hint of flavor plus moisture, increasing the juiciness. Yum.
• I discovered a trick for making hamburger patties that rocked my world … wet your hands with a little water, then patty the meat. Wow – it makes a huge difference! I keep a little bowl of water on the counter and keep lightly dipping my (gloved) hands into it.
• The recipe says to make 5-6 patties, but I made 8 because I like my hamburger patties thin, and because I was serving two kinds of burgers and wanted to be able to try them both!
• We served these with a slice of smoked Cheddar cheese, bacon and a drizzle of Honey Apple Grill sauce. HUGE hit with the family … my parents included!

Honey Apple Grilled Burger

Let’s Luau Burgers

Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1-2 tsp. Honey BBQ Seasoning & Rub
• 2 Tbsp. crushed pineapple, drained
• 4 slices cooked bacon
• 4 hamburger buns
• Prepared Let’s Luau!™ Hawaiian Dip Mix

Directions
Combine first 3 ingredients; shape into 4 patties. Grill or fry until pork is no longer pink. Place cooked patties on buns; top with bacon and a dollop of Let’s Luau! Hawaiian Dip. Makes 4 servings.

Testing Notes:

• I love these burgers … such a unique and wonderful flavor. But they’re not “way out there” … most people will like these, so don’t be afraid to try!
• Note the mixing techniques described in the Honey Apple Grilled Burgers – the same applies here.
• Since I had leftover crushed pineapple, we topped the grilled burgers with a spoonful, plus bacon and provolone cheese. We left them on the grill until the cheese melted, then popped them on a toasted bun with a schmear of prepared Let’s Luau Dip. Holey Schmoley – fantastic! One of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Wow. You should make these!

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