Oklahoman Polk Burger with Sweet Chipotle Mayo and Bird Family BBQ Sauce

Pairs well with:

Merlot

Get cozy and get pouring. Our Merlot is the wine for long weekends and lengthy chats.

This hamburger is a blend from different regions of the country to which I have family connections. The Bird Family BBQ sauce is from my maternal grandmother who was raised in South Carolina. The Chipotle Mayo is from the time my mom spent in Texas going to college. The patty is a basic “Oklahoma onion burger” with the seasoning blend my family puts on everything with minced garlic instead of garlic powder. I added the sausage and bacon while attending Oklahoma State University. There was an early morning game and I wanted to make a breakfast hamburger for tailgating. I didn’t like the fried egg, but loved the flavor the sausage added to the patties, and the smokey crispiness of the bacon, so I started making them every game day. I added the BBQ and mayo to the burger on a whim.

Ingredients:

Sweet Chipotle Mayo
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon, plus teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 a lemon juiced
1 cup of canola oil
1 canned chipotle, chopped
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 lime zested, juiced
3 Tablespoons sour cream
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bird family BBQ sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 a large spanish onion, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups tomato juice (one large can)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed mustard
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Patties
2 pounds ground chuck
8 ounces sausage
2 large cloves of garlic minced
1/2 white onion diced
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt

12 strips of smoked bacon
6 thick slices of smoked cheddar
6 brioche hamburger buns, split
Vegetable oil for rubbing on grill grates

Instructions:

Heat grill to medium high

To make the mayo.
Whisk together egg yolk, mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. Combine the white vinegar and lemon juice separately. Add 1/2 of lemon/vinegar mixture, whisk, while whisking add 1/2 a cup of oil slowly, then add the rest of the lemon/vinegar mixture, after that is added, slowly add the rest of the oil (1/2 a cup). Make sure you are whisking the entire time you are adding the oil and lemon/vinegar. Add the rest of the ingredients (Chipotles, 1 large clove of minced garlic, 1 lime zested and juiced, 3 tablespoons sour cream, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar. Refrigerate until time to assemble burgers.

To make the BBQ sauce
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a fireproof sauce pan. Add the diced onions and cook until translucent about 2 minutes, then add the minced garlic stir in with onions for about a minute, then add the tomato juice, making sure to get the pieces of onion and garlic off of the bottom of the pan. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients, the vinegar, worcestershire, butter, black pepper, salt, crushed mustard, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 40 minutes.

To make the patties
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well while handling the meat as little as possible, to prevent compression Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into patties leaving a slight indention in the center of patties, to keep patties a more consistent thickness. Refrigerate until 15 minutes before grilling.

To cook the bacon, heat a fire proof skillet on medium high heat. When bacon is browned, remove from the skillet and place on a plate covered with a paper towel, patting to remove excess grease.

The grill should already be at medium high heat from the bacon. With a paper or cloth towel, rub the grill rack with vegetable oil to prevent the patties from sticking. Place the patties on the rack and cook for, 3 to 5 minutes.Flip and cook another 3 to 5 minutes. About 2 minutes before the patties are to the desired level of doneness, brush BBQ sauce. Cook for 1 minute, and flip again and brush BBQ sauce on other side of patty and add a slice of cheddar cheese. Close grill and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the patties from the grill. Place buns cut side down on top rack of grill to lightly toast.

To assemble burgers spread a generous amount of mayo on the bottom bun. Then add burger and top with bacon.