Email to Cat      

Texas Burgers with Barbecue Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Weber's Greatest Hits" by Jamie Purviance


Recipe Introduction

Practitioners of Texas barbecue usually serve their slow-smoked briskets without sauce. But burgers offer a lot more leeway, especially when the sauce brings a lot of swagger to the party. To pull off that deep flavor, cook the onions until they are supersoft and as dark as possible before adding the wet ingredients.

List of Ingredients

Sauce:
◦  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
◦  ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
◦  1 cup ketchup
◦  ¼ cup water
◦  2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
◦  1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
◦  1 tablespoon chili powder
◦  1 tablespoon cider vinegar
◦  ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Patties:
◦  1½ pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
◦  1 tablespoon chili powder
◦  ½ teaspoon garlic powder
◦  ½ teaspoon kosher salt
◦  4 slices Cheddar cheese, each about 1 ounce
◦  4 hamburger buns, split
◦  4 leaves romaine lettuce, shredded
◦  16 sweet pickle chips (optional)


Recipe

In a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook until very soft and as dark as possible without burning, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat so the sauce simmers gently. Cook until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl mix together all the patty ingredients with your hands. Gently shape the mixture into four patties of equal size and about ¾-inch thick. With your thumb or the back of a spoon, make a shallow indentation about 1 inch wide in the center of each patty to prevent it from doming as it cooks. Refrigerate the patties until ready to grill.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (400° to 500° F).

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the patties over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until cooked to medium doneness (160° F), 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. During the last 30 seconds to 1 minute of grilling time, place a slice of cheese on each patty to melt, and toast the buns, cut side down, over direct heat. Remove from the grill.

Build a burger on each bun with some sauce, lettuce, a patty, a bit more sauce, and 4 pickle chips, if desired. Serve warm. The remaining sauce will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.


Serves 4