Chile Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Burgers

Ingredients:

Smoky Chile Cheese Spread

1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon smoky sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco cheese
1 cup finely shredded Mexican Chihuahua cheese
1/2 cup Hatch’s roasted green chiles, drained and diced fine.

Sun-dried Tomato condiment

6 slices smoky thick style bacon, chopped fine
1 to 1 1/2 cups sweet white onion, finely diced
1 medium yellow sweet bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fine.

Patties

2 pounds ground organic beef (80 to 85 pct fat)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp grainy mustard
1/4 cup Sutter Home Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon
1 tsp salt
2 tsps cracked black peppercorns, preferrably not ground.

Vegetable oil for the grilling rack
6 Kaiser rolls or suitable burger buns

Instructions:

Setup a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill. Set the coals on one half of the grill bottom to create a 2 zone fire.

To make the spread, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, paprika, cumin, and salt until well blended. Stir in the cheeses and chiles. Keep cool over bowl of ice.

Place a 10 inch skillet on the hot zone of the grill. Cook the bacon until crisp and fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper-towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from the
skillet.

Add the onion and yellow pepper to the skillet, cover, and sweat for 12 to 15 minutes or until the onions and peppers start to caramelize, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the patties, combine the beef, bread crumbs, onion, wine, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands to form a flattish ball.

With your hand cut the ball into 3 portions. Form each into a ball and cut each in half, so you end up with 6 portions.

Shape the portions into patties, about the size of your buns with a depression in the middle so the patties come out flat.

Back to the skillet with the onions.
Toss in the sun-dried tomatoes. Add bacon to the pan and mix well for 2 minutes.

Move the pan to the grill cool zone.

Clean your grill rack with a wire brush. With a cloth or rolled paper towel, dipped in vegetable oil, using tongs, brush the grill rack to lubricate the rack over the hot zone.

Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

At the same time, place the buns on the hot zone, flat side down. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly. Remove
to your serving plates.

Spread one bun with the chile spread, then spread the sun-dried tomato mixture on the other half. Do the same for all buns.

Place a burger on the half that has the sun-dried tomato mixture on them. Salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble with the other half.

Serve with your favorite Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar or crisp Tortilla chips and pickled Jalapenos.