The Big Texan: Fried Green Tomato Burger

Ingredients

• 2 Pounds ground beef sirloin (15-20 percent fat content)
• 6 Brioche buns
• 2 Large red onions
• 1 Cup white vinegar
• . Cup sugar
• 1 Cup water
• 3 Large green tomatoes
• 1 . Cups cornmeal, finely ground
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• . Teaspoon salt
• . Teaspoon pepper
• 4-6 Tablespoons butter
• 4-6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Cup mayonnaise
• . Cup sriracha sauce
• More salt and pepper to taste For the Fried Onion Strings:
• 2 Large white onions
• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon season salt
• 3 Cups vegetable oil for frying Garnish:
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Dill Pickle

Instructions

• For the Burgers: 1. Form ground sirloin into 12 patties 2. Gently make an indentation in the middle of the burger for even cooking 3. Arrange burgers on a lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste 4. Burgers can be covered and refrigerated until ready to grill (allow 15 minutes at room temperature before grilling) 5. Grill burger on a 450 degree outdoor grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches (120-125 Fahrenheit) rare, (130-135 Fahrenheit) medium rare and so forth For the Pickled Onions: 6. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup vinegar, . cup water, . cup sugar and . teaspoon salt to a light boil 7. Meanwhile, slice the onion in half, then slice a quarter of the onion lengthwise and you will end up with half moons 8. Add sliced onions to a non-reactive container (glass or plastic bowl) 9. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the onions and allow to rest at room temperature while grilling the burgers For the Fried Green Tomatoes: 10. Slice green tomatoes into .-inch thick slices 11. Mix cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl 12. Dredge the tomatoes in the mixture and coat evenly 13. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil together in a large saute pan 14. Cook 5-6 tomatoes at a time until golden brown on both sides 15. Drain on a paper lined plate and keep until ready to serve 16. Continue this process until all tomatoes are fried, adding more butter and oil as necessary For the Sriracha Mayonnaise: 17. In a small bowl combine 1 cup mayonnaise, . cup sriracha sauce, salt and pepper to taste, (if you prefer a hotter sauce, add more sriracha) For the Fried Onion Strings: 18. Slice the white onions very thin, about 1/8-inch 19. In a large bowl combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon season salt, and stir to combine 20. Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat – 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) 21. Toss the onion strings in the flour mixture shaking off any excess 22. Cook onion strings in small batches until golden brown and crispy 23. Drain on a paper lined baking sheet 24. Add more season salt if desired To Build the Burger: 25. Once burgers and tomatoes are cooked, butter both side of brioche buns and grill until toasty brown – about 3 minutes 26. Slather both sides of the toasted buns with sriracha mayonnaise 27. Add two slices fried green tomato, then pickled onions, then a cooked burger patty 28. Add more sriracha sauce to the burger if desired 29. Place 2 more fried green tomatoes over the first burger then repeat process with more onions and sriracha mayonnaise 30. Optional: add garnish of lettuce, sliced red tomato and pickles 31. Serve with fried onion strings