Pineapple Upside-down Burger

Pairs well with:

Sauvignon Blanc

With hints of passion fruit, melon, and citrus, this wine beckons you to kick back and find a perfect porch swing.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chuck
1T fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ c sweet yellow onion, finely diced
½ jalapeno pepper, minced
6 whole canned pineapple rings
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c rice wine vinegar
¼ c saki
¼ c pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
1 t Chinese five-spice powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
¼ c pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1 T Chinese five-spice powder
2 T scallions, sliced
½ jalapeno, finely diced
½ c carrot, julienned
½ c sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ c sweet yellow pepper, julienned
2 ½ c green and red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 c pineapple, diced
2 T sesame seeds, toasted
6 sesame seed buns

 

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium-high.

To make patties, combine first 5 ingredients in bowl. Mix to evenly distribute all ingredients. Form into 6 equal patties sized to fit the buns. Press one whole pineapple ring into top of formed burger patty until it is flush with the burger surface; mold burger around edges of pineapple to anchor the pineapple in place. Cover in plastic and set aside.

To prepare the glaze, combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, saki, pineapple juice, five-spice powder, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

To prepare the pineapple slaw, mix pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, and five-spice powder in a small bowl. Toss remaining Slaw ingredients (scallions, jalapeno, carrot, onion, yellow pepper, cabbage, pineapple, and sesame seeds) in large bowl. Pour contents of small bowl over contents of large bowl. Toss, then set aside in refrigerator or cooler.

When grill is hot, add patties, plain side down, to the cooking surface. Cook approximately 7-8 minutes on the first side, frequently brushing with glaze. Turn carefully, then finish cooking pineapple-side-down until desired doneness, approximately 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the pineapple and continuing to frequently brush with glaze
.
At the same time patties are cooking, lightly toast buns cut side down on grill.

To assemble, add 1/6 of the pineapple slaw to each bun bottom, followed by one burger patty, pineapple side up. Serve uncovered with bun crown to the side.