Rancho Nueces pepper burger

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

cooking outdoors with my father, and adding extras to get the flavor I wanted without having to “doctor” the finished burger

Ingredients:

2 lbs. 80/20 ground beef
4 oz.grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 medium jalapeno peppers (use Texas A&M hypbrid for mild), chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp butter
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp sea salt
1tsp ground black pepper
6 Arnold’s, HEB or similar whole wheat sandwich flats

Instructions:

Start fire in grill and prepare grill for medium-high heat cooking.

In a large non-reactive bowl, add the ground meat, chopped peppers, cheese, salt and pepper.

Mix, using washed hands or wooden spatula, until all ingresients are thoroughly mixed, do not smash or compress.

Divide meat mixture into 6 equal portions, form into balls using washed hands, squeezing until they hold together well..

Place balls of meat on wax paper and cover with second sheet.
Press meat balls individually using a small plate or saucer until approximatelly 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

Divide butter into 6 pats and place 1/2 pat on each piece of sandwich flats.

When grill is ready, add meat patties to grill over heat source and grill for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and grill for an additional 4 minutes (rare), 6 minutes (medium) or 8 minutes( well-done.

During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the sandwich flats to the grill, buttered side down.

To construct the burgers,
Remove bread from grill and spread one piece with mayonnaise, add 2 slices of onion, top onion with patty, spread ketchup on second piece of bread and cover patty. Serve hot.