Pickled Watermelon Rind Greek Burger

Ingredients

• Pickled Watermelon:
• 2 Cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 Cup water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon coarse ground sea salt
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 3 Cups Julienne watermelon rind (julienne 3 inches long & 1/8-1/4 inch thick
• Dressing:
• 2 tablespoons reserved watermelon picking liquid
• 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 mint leaves, Chiffonade
• Patties:
• 1 1/4 Pounds freshly ground beef chuck (20% fat)
• 1 pound freshly ground lamb shoulder meat
• 2 1/4 Teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Other ingredients:
• Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
• 6 good quality Kaiser rolls, split
• 1/2 Cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 Cups arugula

Instructions

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• To make the pickled watermelon,
• place vinegar, water, garlic, sea salt and sugar into a fireproof pot.
• Place over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until it starts to boil.
• Add watermelon rind and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until rind starts to soften.
• Using a slotted spoon remove watermelon and place into a bowl. Refrigerate to cool.
• Reserve pickling liquid.
• To make the dressing, place 2 tablespoons reserved pickling liquid, olive oil, minced garlic and mint leaves into a blender.
• Blend until smooth. Cover and set aside until ready to serve
• To make the patties, combine beef, lamb, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions.
• Form the portions into patties to fit the rolls. Make a slight indentation in the center of each patty to allow even cooking.
• Set patties aside until ready to grill.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once until the desired doneness. 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium.
• Place the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
• Prepare topping just before burgers are finished cooking by combining the chilled pickled watermelon, olives, feta and arugula in a large bowl, top with dressing and toss to combine.
• To assemble the burgers, place a patty on each roll bottom and top each with a one-sixth of the pickled watermelon salad.
• Add the roll tops.
• Cut in half and serve.