The Down Home Country Livin’ Burger

Pairs well with:

White Merlot

Imagine sipping a lighter Merlot. This fresh, pale-pink wine is a nice change from traditional red or white wines.

Ingredients

White Barbecue Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Patties:

1/4 cup pecans, toasted

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

1/2 pound andouille sausage, finely chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack

4 ounces Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

6 potato buns, split

2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

6 thin slices Virginia country ham, cut into thin strips

 

Instructions

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

To make the White Barbecue Sauce, in a small mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, and black pepper. Mix until well combined. Refrigerate until serving

To make the patties, in the bowl of a food processor place toasted pecans; process until fully ground. In a large bowl, combine ground pecans, beef, sausage, salt, and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the buns.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, just until done, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with equal amounts of Maytag blue cheese and place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of White Barbecue Sauce on the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom, place an equal amount of shredded cabbage, a cheese-topped patty, and equal amounts of country ham. Add the bun tops and serve.

Makes 6 burgers.