Aloha Burgers

These juicy sweet and savory burgers are the perfect ensemble to your back yard barbecue with a touch of Hawaiian spirit. These are not a traditional Hawaiian burger per say, they are actually a creation of my husband's from a vacation we took to Maui (2005). He grabbed a fresh pineapple from a local fruit stand and headed for the grill. We put everything on the grill; onions, pineapple, pepper marinated ground beef, a sweet bun, and even heated some leftover bacon. We complimented it with sharp Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and some Mayo just for good measure.
Since then we enjoy a bit of aloha in every bite!

 

Meats:

Ground Beef- Marinate with our Sweet Pepper Marinade recipe or Luau Marinade or we have used bottled or packaged black pepper marinade.They are fast and easy to use. You can marinate the beef and then make the patties, marinate patties, or spread marinade over the patties as you cook them.

Bacon- Cook bacon anyway you choose until crispy. We usually do about 1.5 slices per burger.
We also love to use turkey bacon!

We also enjoy these ground beef substitutes from time to time:

• Ground turkey or chicken
• Grilled Chicken
• Bison
• Veal  

Sweet Black Pepper Marinade Recipe:
1-2 Tablespoons fresh coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 garlic cloves equivalent of California Style Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon dried onion
1/4 cup Pineapple Puree or Pineapple Juice (optional) 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar or White


Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients, add to liquid ingredients and stir. Pour into a bag or glass dish for marinating. Marinate meat for at least 15 minutes. Makes 4-6 burgers or up to 4 chicken breasts.

Luau Marinade Recipe: 

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Red Pepper (optional)

2 cloves equivalent of dry Garlic

1 Tablespoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon Ginger

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

Sweetener: 1/4 cup Pineapple juice,1/2 cup Pineapple Puree, 1/3 cup of honey, or 2 T molasses

I just use what I have or mix some of each sometimes

Blend together and then add 1/4 cup of oil and 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar

Add meat and marinade for at least 15 minutes. I like to marinade over night or all day up to dinner. 

This makes enough for 4 patties to marinade 

(I usually double or triple if I have guests)


 

Pineapple

Cut your pineapple in thick or thin slices. You don't even need to cut a hole in the middle because it will soften as it grills.  

Grill pineapple along side your meat.

Bun: Grilled or Plain

We like to used a regular wheat bun, but we have used King's Hawaiian Sweet hamburger buns and they seem to give it another touch of sweetness that compliments the salty bacon, cheese, and burger. We also love to make this burger wrapped up in lettuce, it is a great way to enjoy if you are avoiding gluten/carbs. 

Barbecue Sauce:

We recommend a sweet/savory/smoky barbecue sauce to go on this burger. We especially like Pendleton barbecue sauce, Stubs All Natural Honey Pecan, or my mother's barbecue sauce recipe she likes to whip up for things such as these.

Gloria's Barbecue Sauce Recipe:

1 cup of Ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1-2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke

2 Tablespoons Mustard

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

2-4 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce

Mix together and add to your favorite dish. Works especially well with baked barbecue dishes.

Assembly:

Staring from the bottom bun- Marinaded burger, sharp or smoked Cheddar cheese, grilled pineapple, barbecue sauce, Bacon, lightly grilled or raw Red onions, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and Mayo.

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