A Peach of a BBQ Burger

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

As a Southern girl, originally from Gaffney, SC, there are two things I ate a lot of growing up – BBQ and peaches.BBQ is a big deal in the South – smoking, grilling, secret sauce recipes. South Carolina is also big on peaches, being second in peach production only to California. In fact, Gaffney is so proud of its peaches that a huge water tower made to look like a peach was built in the same year I was born. It is called the Peachoid, and if you happen to drive up Interstate 85 through Gaffney, you can’t miss it. With BBQ and peaches being such a large part of South Carolina’s local flavor, my Peach of a BBQ Burger is a great representation of my home state and city!

Ingredients:

BBQ Sauce Recipe
1 cup peach puree (about 2 peaches)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp clove powder

Peach Relish Recipe
2 1/2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and diced (3-4 firm to medium ripe peaches depending on size)
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Burger Recipe
2 lbs. ground chuck
1/2 cup real bacon bits (like Oscar Meyer)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 cups BBQ sauce (see recipe above)

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 oz block cheddar cheese, thinly sliced into 18 slices
6 Kaiser rolls, split

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium high.

To make BBQ sauce, whisk the peach puree, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, spicy brown mustard, brown sugar, honey, and clove powder in small bowl. Measure out 1 1/4 cups of sauce in a small bowl to be used later for making patties and reserve 3/4 cup to use as a condiment on finished burger. Cover each with plastic wrap and set aside.

To make the peach relish, combine peaches, red pepper, red onion, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, ground red pepper, salt, clove powder, and garlic powder in medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator or cooler.

To make the patties, combine the ground chuck, bacon bits, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and 3/4 cup of prepared BBQ sauce in a large bowl. Shape into 6 patties to fit the buns. Use 1/2 cup of prepared BBQ sauce to spread about 1/2 tablespoon of sauce on each side of each patty.

When grill is ready, brush grill rack with vegetable oil, and place patties on grill. Cover and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium. Place 3 cheese slices on patties during last 2 minutes of grilling.

Take top half of each bun and scoop out some bread from edges all the way to the middle to make a small well. Place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

To assemble burgers, spread 1 tablespoon of reserved BBQ sauce on bottom and top half of bun. Fill indention in bun top with generous portion of peach relish. On each bun bottom, place a cheese-topped patty. Top with peach relish filled bun top. Serves 6.