King Kamehameha Burgers

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

This burger is like the ultimate hawaiian burger on steroids. It’s big, it’s delicious and it’s fit for a king. I had a hawaiian burger at a restaurant once that wasn’t very good and after I ate it I thought “I could make this better” and so I did. My family goes crazy over these burgers and you will too!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef {80/20}
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup finely minced onion
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
6 slices medium cheddar cheese {3/4 oz. each}
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 6-1/2 inch slices and cored
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 6-1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon butter
6 hamburger or kaiser rolls
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
6 large lettuce leaves
6 slices tomato
1/4 pound thinly sliced honey ham from the deli {12 slices}
6 tablespoons BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef with salt, pepper, onion, BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Once evenly mixed, divide mixture into 6 even balls and flatten out into 3/4 inch thick patties, about 4-5 inches across.

Lightly grease grill with oil or non stick cooking spray. Place burgers on hot grill. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Flip burgers and cover and cook another 4 minutes. Remove lid, place cheese slices over top each burger and cover. Cook another 30 seconds or until cheese is completely melted. Remove burgers from heat and lightly cover with foil.

Place pineapple and onion slices on the grill. Cook pineapple 1 minute per side or until grill marks form. Remove. Place onion rings on the grill and cook about 2 minutes per side or until onions have softened and grill marks form. Try to keep onion rings together as best as possible as you cook them. After you flip the onion slices over, place 1/2 teaspoon butter over each set of onion rings, spreading it around as it melts. Remove from heat.

To assemble burgers, spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise over bottom of each hamburger bun. Then top with lettuce, tomato, 2 ham slices, cooked burger, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, grilled onion rings and 1 pineapple slice. Top with bun and serve immediately.