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.

Crab Burgers (Open faced)

Photo by Madeline L.

This recipe takes me back to when I went to an all girl's party up at a cabin when I was younger. I remember having such a great time, but what I really remembered was the crab burgers my friend's mother made us with a side of potato chips. In fact, I can still see her taking them out of the broiler. Since that time in the cabin, I took this recipe with me to my mother who continued to make them for me and my sisters. After a time, when I got married and had children, I wasn't sure if my memory of the recipe was quite right. Now, that I have discovered Facebook, I was able to get into contact with my long lost friend Marianne and requested the recipe for this delicious memory so to speak. So, thank you Marianne, and to everyone who enjoys a good crab burger, this ones for you!

Marianne Stone's Original Crab Burger Recipe-
Ingredients:
8oz. Dungenous Crab 
1 can Tomato Soup undiluted
1/2 finely chopped Walla Walla Sweet onion
2 heaping Teaspoons of Best Foods Mayo 
8 oz. sharp Cheddar Cheese grated


Directions:
Mix together, spread on half of a hamburger bun, broil on low in the oven until bubbly.


My version of Crab Burgers-

Makes 6 sandwiches
1 (6-ounce) can of lump crab meat, drain well
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion (green or sweet)

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon onto an open hamburger bun. Sprinkle some cheese on top. Turn on oven to Broil. Place open face buns onto baking sheet. Broil with oven door partly open and cook until cheese is melted and buns have browned around the edges.
Serve open face with chips, fruit or vegetable.
Additional Notes:
The best kind of crab is fresh cooked from the legs.
You can use canned pink or white crab meat as a substitute for the lump crab meat also.
Use English muffins as a substitute for hamburger buns.

Bison Burgers

Moving on to our next challenge for May. National Hamburger week was celebrated this month and we wanted to extend that out to everyone challenge them to create a burger that they have never created before. This week I made our family bison burgers. I have had bison in restaurants before but never brought it home to cook. It had a great flavor and if I didn't know any better, it wasn't that much different in taste next to the good old hamburger. But, it did have a heavier texture which made it hard for me to finish it, I got full so fast.(Bison is actually a leaner meat than hamburger). All in all, it was a delicious burger.

Madeline's Bison Burgers:

Ingredients-

Ground Bison

Walla Walla Onion

Bella Mushrooms

Sandwich Thins

Swiss Cheese

Olive Oil

Worcestershire sauce

Fresh Parsley

Salt and Pepper/or your favorite seasoning

Your favorite trimmings-Lettuce, tomato, pickle, or sprouts.

Directions:

Slice onions and mushrooms in thick slices. Brown in a frying pan with a little olive oil and then add a little more olive oil and Worcestershire sauce to sauté until soft (Not too soft). Add Fresh Parsley.

Mix Bison meat with salt, Pepper, and/or your favorite seasonings. Make patties and grill.

Add the Swiss cheese, sautéd onions and mushrooms, and any extra trimmings you'd like.

Delicious!

I like my Bison Burger with grilled Asparagus and Watermelon.

Next time skip the lettuce...

Cooking Tip of the Week

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" Next time, skip the lettuce"

Want to enjoy a juicy grilled burger on a warm summer night? You need a soft bun, juicy hamburger, cheese, onion, tomato, pickles and crisp lettuce...or how about something little different? Next time, skip the lettuce and use some fresh Alfalfa Sprouts! You will be pleasantly surprised with the fresh crisp and earthy flavor that sprouts provide your hamburger experience.

Give it a try!

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What Other Substitutes Do You Have in Mind?