Ben’s Burgers with Sausage and Mozzarella

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

My son Ben is a sausage lover and his favorite cheese is Mozzarella.He loves hamburgers and one of his favorite series of YouTube videos is “You’re doing it all wrong” on Chow.com. It’s an example of the wrong way to make a certain food, and then the right way. There is one for hamburgers!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
1/2 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup minced onions
1 teaspoon (divided) black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 1-ounce slices of whole milk Mozzarella cheese
6 hamburger buns
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
6 teaspoons Heinz tomato ketchup
3 teaspoons French’s yellow mustard

Instructions:

1. Lightly mix ground beef, ground sausage, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
2. Lightly form into 6 1/3-pound patties. Using a bit of water on your hands helps keep the meat from sticking.
3. Preheat gas grill to medium high.
4. Right before putting burgers on the grill, salt and pepper each patty with the 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (divided equally among patties).
5. Place burgers on grill and close the lid. Let cook undisturbed for 4 minutes.
6. Open the grill and carefully turn each patty. Close lid again and grill for 3 more minutes.
7. Open the grill and place 1 slice of Mozzarella cheese on each patty. Close the lid for 20 seconds to allow the cheese to melt.
8. Remove patties to a serving platter lined with paper towels.
9. Place each hamburger bun half on the grill and toast lightly with the lid open, about 1 minute.
10. Place a burger on each of the bottom buns.
11. Add a lettuce leaf, 1 teaspoon ketchup, and 1/2 teaspoon mustard to each burger and put the top bun on. Use a toothpick to keep it all together if you like.
12. Enjoy!