Open Range Burgers on Texas Toast with Ginger Cinnamon Barbeque Sauce

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

Ingredients:

**Barbeque Sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
6 T. blackstrap molasses
1 T. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 T. honey
1 tsp. freshly ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp Kosher salt

**Patties
3/4 lb chuck roast
3/4 lb sirloin
3/4 lb brisket
1/2 lb leg of lamb
1/4 lb bacon (unsliced slab bacon is fine)
2 T. Kosher salt

Canola oil or similar high smoke point oil for brushing on the grill

**Basting Sauce
1 stick of butter
2 T. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. Tabasco Chipotle Sauce

2 small loaves of white bread, heels discarded, sliced into 12 slices–about 1/2-3/4 inch each (my local stores call it “farmstyle” or “homestyle” bread)
1/2 lb colby cheese sliced very thin (I use a vegetable peeler)

Instructions:

In a small food processor or blender combine tomato paste, molasses, 1 T. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, honey, ginger, cinnamon, and 2 tsp. Kosher salt. Process until smooth scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Cover and set aside.

Preheat gas grill to high.

Slice chuck roast, sirloin, brisket, lamb, and bacon into rough 1 inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Mix meat chunks, adding 2 T. Kosher salt periodically for even distribution of all elements. Feed salted meat chunks through your meat grinder. Divide the ground meat into 1/2 lb. portions and form into patties of appropriate size to fit your bread.

Brush oil on the grill and arrange the patties over one of the grill’s burners. Turn that burner to low and close lid. Grill 6 minutes and flip burgers. With the grill lid now open, heat a small saucepan on the grill and melt the stick of butter. Add 2 T. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, 1 T. Tabasco Chipotle Sauce and stir to blend.

When the internal temperature of the patties reaches about 140 degrees turn the burner under the patties to medium and begin basting the patties with the butter sauce using a brush. Apply the butter sauce to the top side of the patties and flip. Baste the newly exposed side and let grill for one minute with the lid open. Flip patties and baste newly upturned side and grill for one minute. Repeat this process of flipping and basting until the internal temperature of the patties reaches 160 degrees. This should take 3 to 5 additional minutes of grilling depending upon your wind conditions. Remove patties to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.

While the patties are resting divide the bread slices into 6 matching pairs. Lightly brush some butter sauce on what will be the outside surface of each slice of bread. Turn off one burner on the grill. Place the bread slices butter side down over the extinguished burner. Layer colby cheese shavings on the exposed face of each slice. Close lid and let bread toast for 90 seconds. Move each slice to a double thick layer of aluminum foil placed over a grill burner on low. If your grill has an elevated warming rack you may wish to place the foil there. Close lid and allow cheese to melt. Once cheese has melted remove pairs of cheesy Texas toast to individual plates. Top one slice with a burger patty, a dollop of ginger cinnamon barbeque sauce (about a heaping tablespoon), and cap with the matching slice of toast.

Makes 6 burgers