Madison Meets KC Burger with Iowa Ranched Corn

Ingredients:

Ranched Corn:
1/2 gallon cold water
3 ears Iowa sweet corn, husked and silked
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded
1 tablespoon room temperature unsalted butter
3 1/8 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

KC Barbeque Sauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 dash of Tabasco Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon honey

Patties
1.5 pounds ground chuck
1.5 cups Wisconsin sharp cheddar, shredded
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic salt
4 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
3 eggs
3 tablespoons chilled salted butter

1/4 cup cooking oil for greasing rack
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
1/4 cup of room temperature unsalted butter

Instructions:

For “ranched corn,” pour water into large bowl and soak corn ears and 1/2 red pepper for 20 minutes. When done, use 1 tablespoon of room temperature butter to coat ears and red pepper and sprinkle each ear with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Wrap each piece individually in aluminum foil and grill on medium heat for 25 minutes. When done, let items cool, unwrap foil and dice red pepper and cut kernels from cob with a butter knife. Combine red pepper and corn. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, dill, garlic salt and black pepper by stirring. Fold in pepper/corn mixture and chill in refrigerator.

For KC Barbeque Sauce, in a small skillet heat oil on medium heat and cook garlic for 1 minute. When garlic is done, add ketchup, vinegar, water, brown sugar, chili powder, red pepper flakes, Tabasco and lemon juice. Stir constantly for 15 minutes. Sauce will become rich brown color. 1 minute before removing from heat, stir in honey. Let cool.

For patties, combine chuck, cheese, onion powder, garlic salt, breadcrumbs and eggs in bowl. Stir well. Form six portions. Take three tablespoons of butter and divide into six portions. Poke a whole in each meat portion and put butter portion in center, covering again with meat mixture. Wrap each patty in plastic and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Brush grill with cooking oil and heat to medium. Place patties on rack and cover cooking 6 – 7 minutes on each side, glazing often with KC Barbeque sauce. During last few minutes of cooking, slice hamburger buns and lightly butter with softened butter. Grill both pieces of each bun butter side down on grill for 1 minute to toast.

To construct burger, place a patty on each bun and place 2 tablespoons ranched corn on top of burger before topping with top bun piece. Enjoy!