SWEET PEA BACON BURGER WITH SHOESTRING ONIONS, WESTERN BBQ SAUCE and SMOKED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

This burger is inspired by all those in Washington DC trying to balance the debt ceiling and lower the deficit.President Obama stated on July 12 that Congress needs to eat their “peas”. Well my burger has the peas so we should be eating our peas as the President instructed. But wait, my Western BBQ sauce could represent the Bush tax cuts that are hidden for the rich. My BBQ sauce is hidden in the burger and the shoestring Onions are for all the voters who want to cry. A political burger in the making. I say lets put the politics to the side and just enjoy this fantastic Sweet Pea Bacon Burger…….I just hope my burger gets voted to be a finalist or should I say a Sutter Home, “House Representative”…..lol

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Sweet Pea Slaw:
3 cup Peas, short pulse chopped in a food processor
1 T Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
2/3 cups Jicama, chopped match stick size
2 Tablespoon Vidalia or sweet onion, finely chopped
3/4 cups Coleslaw Dressing (such as Marie’s)
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Western BBQ Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon Ancho chile powder
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

18 slices of bacon, thick

Patties:
2 1/4 pounds ground chuck (80/20)
1/3 cup Western BBQ sauce (from above)
1/4 cup Sutter Home Zinfandel
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Shoestring Onions:
1 large Vidalia, or sweet onion, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch slices
3 cups Pancake mix, such as Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peanut oil for frying about 4 cups

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive oil, for brushing the grill rack and buns.

6 slices of Smoked Sharp Cheddar Cheese, each 1/4 inch thick.

6 Brioche buns, split

Instructions:

Directions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Place a large iron skillet on the rack.

To make the Sweet Pea Slaw, add the peas to a food processor and quickly pulse chop the peas, a coarse chop. In a medium bowl combine the coarsely chopped peas, Sauvignon Blanc, Jicama, sweet onion, coleslaw dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt and pepper. Set aside in a refrigerator.

To make the Western BBQ sauce, in a large bowl add the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, and brown sugar, whisk together. Next add the chipotle, ancho, paprika, garlic salt, kosher salt, cumin, and cayenne, whisk together. Add the honey and liquid smoke. Whisk all together until incorporated. Set aside.

To cook the bacon, Place the bacon in the preheated iron skillet. Cook the bacon until crisp about 5 to 7 minutes a side. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towels. Cover the bacon with aluminum foil and keep warm. Remove the skillet from the grill.

To prepare the patties, In a large bowl, place the chuck, Western BBQ sauce, Zinfandel, salt and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Gently mix together using a large spoon. Form into 6 patties with a thumb dimple in the center of each patty and refrigerate until ready to grill.

To make the Shoestring Onions, place a large iron skillet on the grill and add peanut oil. Heat to 375 degree F. Slice the onion 1/4 inch slices and then quarter the slices of whole onion so the pieces are about two inches long. In a large bowl combine the pancake mix, garlic powder, salt, fresh ground pepper and cayenne pepper. Split the pancake dry mix evenly between 2 large baking dishes. Next in a new large baking dish whisk together the buttermilk, salt, fresh ground pepper and cayenne pepper. Working in small batches, dredge the onions in one of the dishes of the dry pancake mix and tap off the excess. Dip the onions in the buttermilk mix, remove and allow the excess to drain off. Then dredge the onions in the second dish of pancake dry mix. Tap off the excess and drop the onions into 375 degree oil. Fry the onions until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the onions and place on paper towels. Repeat the process until all the onions have been fried. Set aside.

Brush the grill rack with olive oil. Place the patties on the grill, cover and cook for 5
minutes. Turn the patties and cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. During the last 2 to 3 minutes of grilling the patties, brush the patties with the Western BBQ sauce and add a slice of Smoked Sharp Cheddar cheeses on top of each patty. During the same time, brush the buns with olive oil and place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack and toast lightly to golden brown.

To assemble the burger, on the bottom bun place 2 pieces of bacon and drizzle the bacon with Western BBQ sauce and place the patties on top of the bacon in that order. Next, add a large dollop of the Sweet Pea Slaw on top of each patty. Add a little pile of the Shoestring Onions and drizzle with the Western BBQ sauce in that order. Add the toasted bun top with wooden skewers and serve immediately.

Makes 6 burgers.