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Car Wash Burgers

Source of Recipe

From "BBQ USA" by Steven Raichlen


Recipe Introduction

"It was such a logical idea, I'm surprised more people hadn't thought of it. Satisfy two of modern man's basic needs in a single location, and the public will beat down your door. That's precisely what happened when Chuck Jackson set up a barbecue pit at a car wash in Pontiac, Michigan. A retired General Motors employee, Jackson was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and he's been barbecuing all his life. Retired now, Jackson exercised his art on a cooker fashioned from an old furnace-oil tank in a tiny shed next to the car wash. His place is under different management now, and the menu has changed, but in its heyday, his ribs, chicken, and pork steaks were cooked to smoky perfection in a pit blackened with age and creosote. The most distinctive dish that came out of Jackson's pit was a hamburger so large, it could double as a meat loaf. Perhaps someone has eaten a whole one, but that's a feat that requires an appetite far more formidable than mine. My interpretation of the car wash burger has been enriched with oatmeal and eggs and studded with onion and bell peppers. It's an awe-inspiring burger that only a barbecue fanatic could concoct. Ribs are common currency in and around Detroit, but I know of only one barbecued burger."

List of Ingredients

For the burgers:
â—¦ 2 pounds ground chuck (you must use chuck)
â—¦ 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant oatmeal)
â—¦ 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
â—¦ ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
â—¦ ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

For serving:
â—¦ Hamburger buns
â—¦ Pickle slices
â—¦ Onion slices
â—¦ Your favorite barbecue sauce

You'll also need:
â—¦ 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained


Recipe

Place chuck, oatmeal, onion, green and red bell peppers, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, and eggs in a mixing bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Wet your hands with cold water and divide the beef mixture into four equal portions. Working quickly and with a light touch, pat each portion into a very thick patty. Place the patties on a plate lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate, covered, while you set up the grill.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to medium, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

When ready to cook, place the burgers in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the burgers until cooked to taste, 30 to 40 minutes for medium-well-done (this is the way Jackson serves them). To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer through the side of a burger into the center: The internal temperature should be about 170° F for medium-well-done (160° F for medium). During the last few minutes, move the burgers directly over the fire to sear the outside. Serve at once on buns, with pickles, onions, and barbecue sauce.

Makes 4 mammoth burgers