Sunsational Barbeque Burgers with Grilled Onions

Pairs well with:

Merlot

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

Ingredients

½ cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tablespoons for barbeque sauce, 1 tablespoon for onions and remaining for brushing buns and grill.)
2 medium white onions (1 diced for barbeque sauce and 1 sliced for Burgers.)
2 navel oranges (1 for barbeque sauce and 1 for onions.)
1 large clove of elephant garlic, diced
1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
¼ cup Sutter Home Merlo
t 5 tablespoons brown sugar (2 tablespoons for barbeque sauce and 3 tablespoons for onions.)
1 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt (1 teaspoon for barbeque sauce and 2 teaspoons for burgers.)
1 tablespoon pepper (1 teaspoon for barbeque sauce and 2 teaspoons for burgers.)
2 pounds ground chuck (75% lean beef and 25% fat)
6 White Bakery Buns
6 romaine lettuce leaves
6 tomato slices

 

Instructions

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high temperature. To make the barbeque sauce, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to hot medium size cast iron skillet with 1 large diced onion. Cook onion on medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Merlot, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, Worchester sauce, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir ingredients until well mixed and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. When cooking time is finished, thoroughly, cool 2/3 cup of barbeque sauce in the refrigerator to be used in burgers. Set the remaining sauce aside. To make the onions, brush a foil pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place 6 onion slices in a single layer. In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining brown sugar and the juice of an orange. Thoroughly mix and pour over onions. Continue on low heat, cook onions for 5 minutes, turn onions over and cook five minutes longer. Set onions on top rack to keep warm. To make the patties, mix 2/3 cup of cooled barbeque sauce to ground chuck. Mix well, but handle the meat as little as possible as not to compact it. Divide the meat into 6 proportionate patties. Brush grill rack with olive oil. Place patties on rack and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn burgers and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Brush buns with olive oil. Three minutes before the burgers are done, place buns cut side down on the outer edges of the rack until lightly brown. When burgers and buns have finished cooking, remove from grill along with the onions. To assemble the burgers, tear lettuce leaves in half and place two halves on each bun. Place tomato, burger and onion on each bun. Spread on each bun top a generous amount of barbeque sauce. Add the bun tops and serve. Makes six burgers.