Dixie girl loves a Pittsburger!
My great American burger recipe was born when I (a born and raised Dixie gal) fell in love with my Pittsburgh guy!Where I am from the barbecue sauce is tangy-sweet and mustard based. Some people think BBQ sauce should be red but in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina it is only yellow. When I moved to Atlanta (where I discovered that most BBQ sauce is red) I met and married my husband from Pittsburgh. During my first road trip to Pittsburgh I was introduced to world famous Primanti Brothers. We ate at Primanti Brothers for every meal. They make their sandwiches on fresh French bread and top them with vinegar based coleslaw. This is how the perfect marriage of flavors began! When I make these burgers for the Pittsburgh Steelers football games I always serve it with a nice glass of Sutter Home Gewurztraminer.
Ingredients:
Pittsburgh Vinegar Slaw
2 1/2 cups of finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup of finely shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup finely shredded carrots
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
1/2 a large Georgia grown Vidalia onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Dash of curry power
2 teaspoons of Worstershire sauce
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1/3 cup cider vinegar
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
Juice of 1 large lemon
Patties
2 pounds of freshly ground chuck
1 cup of South Carolina BBQ Sauce
3/4 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
2-3 table spoons of vegetable oil, for brushing on grill rack
6 bun sized Italian bread slices, sliced horizontally on a bias
Instructions:
Directions
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
To make the coleslaw, combine the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots and onions in a large bowl and toss well. Combine the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl and stir until well blended. Pour over the cabbage mixture, tossing to blend. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
To make the BBQ sauce, first make an onion and garlic slurry by combining Vidalia onion and garlic in food processor. Blend until it forms a slurry with a few lumps. Brown the butter in small fire-proof skillet on the grill rack. Add the slurry mixture to the skillet and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Now add the the cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, black pepper, and curry powder. Allow spices to heat up with butter, garlic and onion mixture until you can smell them. Place the skillet on the outerside of the grill rack and stir in the worstershire sauce, mustard, spicy brown mustard, vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice. Whisk until well blended, set aside to cool.
To make the patties, combine the chuck, BBQ sauce and bread crumbs in a bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the bread
When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. Place bread on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
To assemble the burgers, on each bread bottom, spread an even layer of BBQ sauce, place a patty and an equal portion of the coleslaw. Add the bread tops and serve.