West Indies Cuban Burger

Pairs well with:

Merlot

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

My heritage. Being Cuban-American, at the same time that I enjoy sweet and spicy foods rich in spices, I also love a good old all-American burger. So, I decided to combine the best of both worlds.

Ingredients:

2 Lbs. of 80/20 Ground Chuck

Dry Ingredients for the Beef:
1 1/2 tsp. McCormick’s Peppercorn Medley ground
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Dried Minced Onion
1 1/2 tsp. Smoked Sweet Paprika

Wet Ingredients for the Beef:
3 tbsp. Grace brand Jerk Seasoning, Mild (found at most Wal*Marts, it looks like a marinade, but says “seasoning” on the bottle)
1 tsp. Fresh Minced Garlic
1 tsp. Toluca Gourmet Salsa Casera Habanero Hot Sauce (again, found in most Wal*Marts)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Beaten Egg

Toppings/Condiments:
6 Kaiser Buns
6 Slices of aged Swiss Cheese
6 Slices of Pineapple
12 Slices of Guava Paste (Goya makes a great one)
24 Rings of Fresh Onion
12 Leaves of Fresh Romaine Lettuce

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat a grill for medium-high heat (coal works best, gas works just fine also)
2. Place beef in a large bowl, spread it out a bit.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add into the bowl with the beef, sprinkling it over top.
4. Add in the wet ingredients one at a time in order of appearance, directly over the beef.
5. Handling as little as possible, fold beef over itself until all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
6. Shape meat into 6 equally-sized patties (I make baseball-sized meatballs, and then flatten them with the other hand).
7. Cook patties directly over heat with the grill open. After 2 mins, lay the 3 slices of pineapple down on the grill to cook them as well. After 5 mins, turn the patties and the pineapple and immediately add BBQ sauce on top of each patty, close the BBQ. After another 5 mins of cooking the patties, remove them from the direct heat, place them on the edges of the grill and top each in the following order: one slice of pineapple, two slices of guava, one slice of cheese. Lightly toast the 6 Kaiser buns and stack each in the following order: Bottom bun, some bbq sauce, two leaves of lettuce, patty with toppings on it, 4 rings of onion, top bun.
8. Enjoy an American classic with a Caribbean twist!