Inventive Burger Recipes for Father’s Day Barbeque

BY EILEEN GOLTZ
Special to The Standard

Growing up the only time my dad cooked was when it was barbeque time.  This is not to say that my dad was a good barbeque-er but rather, he was an enthusiastic barbeque-er who always surprised us with how he always managed to come within an inch of incinerating his culinary offerings. But trust me, even his disasters were delicious.

I have LOTS of interesting barbecue memories of which is my father was the star. Primary among them is the time he squirted a wee bit too much lighter fluid on a grill, a charred garage and the fire department visiting the neighborhood. Needless to say, as Father’s Day rolls around my thoughts turn to charred hot dogs (and garages) burnt burgers and all the creative mixtures he threw on the grill.

Actually “barbecue” is one of the most misused words in our cooking vocabulary. Putting steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers on a grill should be called “grilling” not barbecuing. In actuality, when you barbecue you’re supposed to slow-smoke meat at a low temperature for a long period of time, with a liquid or sauce (and smoke) as a flavoring and tenderizing agent.

As best as I can tell the origins of barbecuing are in the early 1500′s when Spanish explorers found natives of the West Indies preserving meats in the sun. They had a word for this process, “barbacoa.” It’s assumed that this is where the modern word barbecue came from. When the European immigrants began settling the southern United States the racks were replaced with pits and smokehouses.

The modern concept of barbecuing meat with a sauce traces its beginnings to the western cattle drives of the mid to late 1800′s. The bosses weren’t inclined to use prime cuts of meat to feed their cowboys so tougher cuts like brisket cooked in chili flavored sauces were used.

So, in honor of all the men out there who fulfill the role of dad here are some of my all time favorite grilled burger recipes. They’re the perfect gift to share with the dad you love the most.

GYRO LAMB BURGER

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
12 oz. ground lamb
4 oz. ground pork (or ground veal)
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each finely chopped parsley, mint, and dill
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1?2 teaspoon ground coriander
1?2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1?3 cup crumbled feta cheese
5 or 6 romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves shredded
8 black olives roughly chopped

Lamb burger patties

8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (you can use fresh tomatoes)
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 hamburger buns, toasted

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until browned, about 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer onions to a plate; let cool. In a bowl, mix the onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, and salt and pepper. Form meat into two thick patties and then set them aside aside.

Prepare a grill to medium-high (or heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet).  Grill burgers, flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare. In a small bowl, combine feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top. Makes 2. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Modified from a recipe by Michael Psilakis, the chef at Anthos, NYC

DONALD TRUMPS MAR A LAGO TURKEY BURGER

Oprah tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s club in Palm Beach and said she thought it was maybe the best turkey burger in the entire world.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup oil
4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoon Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed (I used orange marmalade instead)

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the oil until they are tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add the sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve on a roll or bun.

Modified from Oprah.com  

TACO BURGERS

Taco Burger with green chili salsa

1 cup finely crushed corn chips
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
6 slices cheddar cheese
Sandwich buns, split
Lettuce leaves
Tomato slices
Salsa to taste

In a large bowl, combine the corn chips, taco seasoning, onion and egg. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from the heat for 7-8 minutes on each side. Top each burger with a cheese slice; cook just until cheese begins to melt. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and salsa. Makes 6.

TURKEY CHEDDAR BURGER

1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup) (you can use sweet onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
4 thick slices extra-sharp Cheddar
4 hamburger or Kaiser rolls

For sun-dried tomato mayonnaise (optional):

1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise

In a skillet over a medium heat cook the shallot in oil with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a bowl. Add turkey and mix gently but thoroughly.

Turn out turkey mixture onto a sheet of wax paper and divide into 8 equal mounds. Pat 1 mound into a 4-inch patty and top with 1 piece of cheese then put a second mound on top, patting it onto other patty to enclose cheese. Pinch edges together to seal and shape into a single patty. Make 3 more burgers in same manner. If you are grilling this outside on the grill you need to grease the racks. If cooking indoors you need to heat an oiled ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then grill burgers, turning over once, until just cooked through (no longer pink), 8 to 9 minutes total. While burgers are cooking toast the buns and if you want to make the sun dried tomato mayonnaise just put everything in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Serve the burgers on rolls with lettuce. Makes 4.