Poor Cajun Man

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

In cajun cooking, we always use the trinity of seasonsings: onions, bell pepper, celery. So, most every main dish will contain these – especially meat dishes. Also, we always add that extra bit of red pepper spice to liven up the dishes. Years ago, the poor cajun people could not afford the fancy cuts of meat such as filet mignon, so ground beef was the most common meat for cooking. This recipe gives a semblance of a filet mignon.

Ingredients:

Spice Mixture:
1T Cajun seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s)
2 t. herb seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash, salt-free original blend,optional)
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder

Filling Mixture:
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
1/2 c. finely chopped bell pepper (red or green)
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 c. finely chopped olives

Patties:
2 lbs ground chuck (85%)
1 t. oilive oil
1/2 t. hot sauce
6 slices bacon

Cajun mayonnaise:
1 c. prepared mayonnaise
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. ketchup
1 t. hot sauce
1/2 t. black pepper

6 toothpicks
2 T. vegetable oil (for brushing on grill pan)
6 good quality hamburger buns, split
6 leaves of lettuce
6 slices of tomato

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to 300-325 degrees.

To make the spice mixture, mix together the Cajun seasonsing, the herb seasoning, black pepper and garlic powder.

To make the filling mixture, combine and mix thoroughly onions, bell peper, celery, and olives.

To make the patties, stir together the olive oil and hot sauce and sprinkle over the ground beef. Gently knead ground beef to incorporate the oilve oil and hot sauce. On a sheet of wax paper, about 15″ long, pat the ground beef to form a rectangle 9″ x 14″. Sprinkle the ground beef evenly with the spice mixture. Distribute the filling mixture over the ground beef and light press into the ground beef. Roll up ground beef jelly-roll style rolling from the short side making sure to keep the roll tight. Slice into 6 equal slices. Wrap a slice of bacon around the burger and secure with a toothpick. Pat the burgers to about 1″ thick. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside until grill is ready.

When the grill is ready, place the patties on a perforated grill pan that has been brushed with oil. Cover and cook burgers, turning once, until desired doneness (about 7 – 10 minutes on each side for medium). Place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edge of the grill to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

While the hamburgers are cooking, prepare the cajun mayonnaise. Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made ahead of time)

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of the Cajun mayonnaise over the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom, place a grilled patty, followed by the lettuce and tomato.