A burger quartet for barbecue time

Add a little summery flavor to your burger menus with the following recipes ideas. Chef Jason Slimak’s Hawaii 5-0 Burger, featuring Angus beef and braised pork, is served at Lockdown Bar and Grill in Chicago. Also, check out the Spicy Sweet Barbecue Beef Burgers, Grilled Pacific Burgers, and Blueberry Turkey Burgers with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise. For an eye-catching beverage, try the Pink Blueberry Lemonade recipe, chilled with blueberry ice cubes and served in a clear glass.

Hawaii 5-0 Burger

From: Chef Jason Slimak, Lockdown Bar and Grill, Chicago. Yield: 5 servings.

Braised Pork Spice Rub:
as needed, kosher salt
as needed, cayenne pepper
as needed, cumin
as needed, cinnamon
as needed, onion powder
as needed, granulated garlic
as needed, smoked paprika

1 lb. pork butt
2 large yellow onions, julienned
as needed, bacon fat (may substitute vegetable oil)
2 pints brown ale
5 10-oz. Angus beef burger patties
5 slices red onion, sliced 1/8” thick
as needed, barbecue sauce (instructions follow)
5 slices fresh cut pineapple, ½” thick
to taste, kosher salt and black pepper
5 hamburger buns

For spice rub: Combine ingredients.

For braised pork: Remove excess fat from pork butt, leaving around ¼  to ½ of it for flavor. Rub pork butt with spice rub. Heat bacon fat in large skillet just to smoking point. Sear all sides of the pork butt, then remove from pan to a large oven-proof pan. Pan should be deep enough to submerge pork butt ¾ in the pan. Turn heat off under skillet with bacon fat and add yellow onions. Heat will be high enough to sauté onions without burning them. Cook onions for 4 minute, then turn heat back on to medium flame. Add 2 pints brown ale. Reduce beer for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add liquid and onion mixture to pork butt in the deep oven-proof pan. (If needed, top off the pan with chicken stock so pork butt is ¾ covered with liquid.) Cook pork butt, covered, in a 350°F oven for approximately 3 hours or until pork butt falls apart when you try to pick it up.  Remove from oven and immediately refrigerate. Pull pork as needed.

For barbecue sauce: Combine Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, kosher salt to taste, sriracha sauce and instant coffee thinned with a little water.

For burgers: Generously season beef patties with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook to desired temperature on grill. Grill fresh-cut pineapple slices on a cooler part of the grill so slices cook slowly and brown without burning.

To assemble burgers: Place grilled burger patty on bun. Top with slice of red onion and slice of grilled pineapple.  Add pulled pork on top of pineapple and dress with barbecue sauce.  Place top of bun on sandwich and serve.

PHOTO: LOCKDOWN BAR AND GRILL

Spicy Sweet Barbecue Beef Burgers

Yield: 6 servings
1 cup ketchup
3 oz. canned chipotle peppers
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
2 large yellow onions
as needed, olive oil
to taste, kosher or sea salt
to taste, freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
½ tsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt
½ tsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. lime juice
3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
¼ cup shredded carrot
3 red radishes, shredded
2½ lb. ground beef
6 oz. sliced Monterey Jack cheese (12 thin slices)
6  La Brea Bakery Telera Sandwich Rolls

Lightly oil and preheat grill. Combine ketchup, chipotle peppers, honey and Worcestershire in a blender or food processor.  Process until smooth. Cover and keep cold. Slice the onions to make 6 ½”-thick slices; brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill onions about 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender, turning once. Set aside and keep warm. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, seasoned salt and garlic salt in large bowl. Add cabbage, carrots and radishes; mix well. Cover and keep cold.

Being careful not to overwork the meat, shape it into 6 oval patties. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with about ¼ tsp. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the patties on the hot grill. Sear them until they can be turned without sticking, then turn them. For rare, cook about 4 minutes on each side; for medium-rare, cook 5 minutes on each side; for medium, cook 6 minutes on each side. Just before burgers are done cooking, top each with 2 slices of cheese and let melt. While burgers are grilling, place rolls, cut side down, on grill to toast lightly, about 2 minutes. Spread chipotle ketchup on each bottom bun. Top with warm grilled onion slices and burgers. Divide the slaw between the burgers and place on top of the cheese. Finish with roll tops and serve.

PHOTO: LA BREA BAKERY

Grilled Pacific Burgers

Yield: 24 servings

6 lb. (24 patties) lean ground beef or turkey
1½ cups honey mustard barbecue sauce
24 slices Dole® Pineapple Slices
2 kaiser or hamburger rolls, sliced
24 slices Cheddar cheese
24 leaves Dole® Green or Red Leaf Lettuce
24 slices Dole® Red Onion, thinly sliced

Grill meat until no longer pink inside, brushing occasionally with barbecue sauce. Add pineapple slices to grill during the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking; cook until pineapple is golden brown.

Toast buns on grill. Place burgers on buns. Top with cheese, grilled pineapple slice, lettuce and onion slice. Place bun top on sandwich. Serve with chips or fries.

PHOTO: DOLE

Blueberry Turkey Burgers with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise

Yield: 4 servings

¼ cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 package Driscoll’s Blueberries, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 lb. ground turkey (7% fat)
3 Tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
4 lite 100-calorie multi-grain English muffins, toasted
4 tomato slices
4 lettuce leaves

Combine mayonnaise, basil, lemon zest and ½ package blueberries in a small bowl.  Mix well and reserve.

Combine remaining blueberries, garlic, lemon juice and Dijon mustard in a bowl; mash well with a fork. Add ground turkey, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix until well-combined. Divide into 4 portions and form into 3½”-diameter patties.

Coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook 5  to 6 minutes per side or until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 175°F.

To serve, place 1 tomato slice, 1 lettuce leaf and a turkey burger on bottom half of each English muffin. Spread cut side of muffin tops with basil mayonnaise and place on burgers. Serve immediately.

PHOTO: DRISCOLL’S

Pink Blueberry Lemonade

Yield: 4 one-cup servings

1/3 cup sugar
1¼ cups fresh blueberries, divided
½ cup lemon juice
as needed,  water
as desired for garnish, lemon slices

In a 1-quart glass measuring cup, combine sugar, 2 Tbsp. of the blueberries and ½ cup water. Microwave on high until hot, about 1 minute.  Stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and enough water to make 1 quart. Chill.

Fill tall glasses with ice cubes, add chilled blueberry mixture and remaining berries, dividing equally. Garnish with lemon slices if desired.

To make blueberry ice cubes: Place 3 blueberries in each of 12 ice cube cups. Fill with water and freeze. Note: 36 berries equal about ¼ cup.

PHOTO: U.S. HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY COUNCIL