Inside Out Omaha Steak Cheeseburgers with Zesty-Grilled Garlicky Onions and Cilantro Sauce
If there is one product that we are proud of (and well known for) here in Nebraska, it is high quality, delicious beef. One company, in particular, is doing Nebraskan’s (and America) proud by consistently putting out the best steaks and meat products around—those from the Omaha Steaks Company. I love to grind my own Omaha Steaks and use them in burgers, as I did here. Topped with a zesty grilled garlic and onion mixture, these cheeseburgers hide both of the cheeses inside the patties where they won’t get lost or slide off of the tops. With their mouthwatering flavors, these burgers really represent how much we love good food here in the heartland. Hope you enjoy them!
Ingredients:
Cilantro Sauce:
2 cups packed cilantro leaves
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ Tablespoons strained fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Zesty-Grilled Garlicky Onions:
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Lea& Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sutter Home Zinfandel
2 Tablespoons Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 Tablespoon unsulfured molasses
2 large heads California garlic
2 teaspoons Colavita olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced sweet onion
Patties:
1 pound Boneless Strip Sirloin Steaks, preferably from the Omaha Steaks company
1 pound Angus ground chuck
¾ cup Treasure Cave Blue Cheese crumbles
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ Tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
6 slices white cheddar cheese, cut to a size slightly smaller than the patties
Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 high-quality hamburger buns, split
6 butter or green leaf lettuce leaves
Instructions:
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
To make the cilantro sauce, place the cilantro, yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
To make the Zesty-Grilled Garlicky Onions, in a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, Zinfandel, Tabasco and molasses until blended. Set aside. Place each whole garlic head on two large squares of foil. Drizzle each head with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the tomato paste sauce. Tightly wrap garlic heads and place over indirect heat on the grill rack. Cover grill and cook for 40 minutes or until cloves are softened, taking care that they do not overcook. Meanwhile place sliced onions in a grill basket and cook over direct heat until they are softened and cooked down. Place the onions in a fire-safe saucepan along with the remaining tomato paste sauce and set aside. When garlic is cooked, cool to room temperature, peel, and then coarsely chop the cloves. Add garlic to the pan along with the onion mixture; set aside and keep warm until serving.
To make the patties, coarsely chop the steaks and place the pieces in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and place in a large bowl along with the ground chuck, blue cheese crumbles, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Gently combine and form into 12 patties sized to fit the buns. Place a slice of white cheddar onto the center of 6 of the patties. Place the remaining 6 patties on top of the cheese-topped patties. Press and seal edges of patties together so that no cheddar is exposed.
Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium doneness, turning once. During the last few minutes of patties cooking, place the buns cut sides down on the outer edges of the grill rack to lightly toast.
To assemble the burgers, spread an equal amount of the cilantro sauce onto the cut sides of the buns. Onto each bun bottom place a lettuce leaf, a cooked patty, and equal amount of the garlicky onions, and a bun top.
Makes 6 burgers