I want meat in my hamburger!

The other day I went to a fancy smancy BBQ "dinner party". The words all together are an oxymoron. Dinner party and BBQ shouldn't be in the same sentence. I was enjoying myself as I mingled with all the other party guests. It was a nice night for a get together. There was just enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away and to carry the scent of the BBQ through the back yard. As the food started coming off the grill I noticed they had bacon wrapped scallops, stuffed popper, and sliders. These weren’t just any ole’ plain sliders, these were gourmet sliders. Spinach and garlic danced inside the ground beef. As I looked at the platter that held 20 of these tiny burgers I thought, “Where’s the Beef”! I don’t know about you, but I would rather a nice big juicy burger that I can sink my teeth into.

Here is a recipe from one of the best burgers maker Rachael Ray. Beer and Pepper Jack cheese are what make this a special burger.

The Gaucho Burger

Ingredients
• 1/2 pounds lean ground beef sirloin
• 1/2 cup beer
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (about a palmful)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander (about a palmful)
• 1 tablespoon steak seasoning (about a palmful)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 red onion, cut into 6 wedges
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (a generous handful)
• Juice of 1 lime plus 1 teaspoon grated peel
• Salt
• 8 deli-slices pepper Jack cheese
• 4 Kaiser rolls, preferably cornmeal-crusted, split and toasted
• Shredded romaine lettuce

Preparation
In a large bowl, combine the beef, beer, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, steak seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Shape into four patties.
Pre-heat the broiler or an outdoor grill.

If using the broiler, halve and seed the tomatoes and jalapeños before broiling. On a rimmed baking sheet, broil the tomatoes, jalapeños and red onion, turning once, until charred, about 15 minutes. If using an outdoor grill, char the vegetables for 10 minutes; halve and seed the tomatoes and jalapeños.
Chop the charred veggies; transfer to a bowl. Add the cilantro, lime juice and lime peel; season the pico de gallo with salt.
In the broiler or on the grill, cook the burgers over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare doneness, melting the cheese over each burger during the last few minutes of cooking.
To serve, layer each roll bottom with lettuce, a burger, some pico de gallo and a roll top. Enjoy