Jul 27, 2012
These recipes (except the potato salad) are from my cookbook, Barbecue Secrets DELUXE!, now available as an iBook from the Apple iTunes store. Check it out!
Thai-flavored Beef Burgers with Sautéed
Shiitakes
Makes 4
burgers
For the
burger mix:
11/2 lb
| 750 g ground beef chuck
(80
percent lean)
2 Tbsp
| 25 mL finely chopped fresh
Thai or
Italian basil
1 Tbsp
| 15 mL fresh lime juice
2 tsp |
10 mL fish sauce
2
cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp |
5 mL grated or finely chopped
lime
zest
1 tsp |
5 mL grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp
| 2 mL freshly ground
black
pepper
For the
mushrooms:
3 Tbsp
| 45 mL unsalted butter
2 Tbsp
| 25 mL canola or peanut oil
1 small
shallot, finely chopped
2 tsp |
10 mL grated fresh ginger
8 oz |
250 g fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems
removed,
cut into 1/4-inch | 5 mm slices
few
drops sesame oil
1/4 tsp
| 1 mL kosher salt
1/4 tsp
| 1 mL freshly ground black pepper
To
finish the burgers:
4
hamburger buns, lightly buttered and
sprinkled
with granulated onion
1 tsp |
5 mL toasted sesame seeds
Line a
cookie sheet with waxed paper. Gently mix the burger ingredients in
a large bowl with your hands, taking care not to overwork the meat.
Wet your hands with cold water and shape the mixture into 4 patties
about 3/4 inch | 2 cm thick. Cover them and refrigerate them for at
least 1/2 hour or up to 4 hours.
Prepare your grill for direct medium heat. While the grill is
heating, prepare the mushrooms. Melt the butter with the oil in a
sauté pan over medium heat, and add the shallot and ginger. Add the
mushrooms and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it’s
tender, 4–6 minutes. Add the sesame oil, salt, and pepper and mix
them in thoroughly. Set the mushrooms aside and keep them
warm.
Brush the burger patties with oil and grill them over direct medium
heat for 4–5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature
reaches 160˚F | 71˚C. Remove them from the heat. Grill the buns for
30–60 seconds, butter side down, until they’re nicely toasted.
Serve the hot burgers on the toasted buns, topped with the
mushrooms and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
The Wakefield Inn Oyster Burger
Makes 4
burgers
Years
ago the Wakefield Inn, a pub on BC’s Sunshine Coast, invented the
ultimate burger —and it’s not grilled. To get the right texture,
you need to pan-fry the oysters. The Wakefield Inn used seasoned
flour to coat the oysters, but I prefer the extra crunch of
cornmeal. Serve the burger with a dill pickle, a dollop of Easy
Alabama Potato Salad (see recipe below), and a big mug of cold
beer. Sadly, the Wakefield Inn has fallen to a condo developer’s
wrecking ball and all that’s left is the great view, and this
recipe.
1 tsp |
5 mL ground cumin
1 tsp |
5 mL ground ancho chiles
1 tsp |
5 mL freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup
| 125 mL cornmeal
1 Tbsp
| 15 mL butter
1 Tbsp
| 15 mL olive oil
12
medium-sized fresh West Coast oysters, pre-shucked (you can buy
them in tubs)
4
burger buns, toasted and buttered
4 Tbsp
| 60 mL commercial tartar sauce
1 bunch
green leaf lettuce
4
slices crisply cooked bacon
1
thinly sliced ripe tomato
pickle
slices and parsley sprigs, for garnish
Combine
the cumin, ground ancho, pepper, and cornmeal in a small bowl and
pour the mixture onto a dinner plate. Heat the butter and oil in a
heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is sizzling.
Lightly coat the oysters in the cornmeal mixture and fry them in
the oil and butter until they’re crisp on the outside and done
inside, 2–3 minutes per side.
Spread 1 Tbsp | 15 mL of tartar sauce on each toasted and buttered
bun. Add a leaf or two of lettuce, 3 of the fried oysters, one
crispy slice of bacon (ripped in half), and 1 or 2 slices of
tomato. Sprinkle the works with salt and pepper. Top with the other
half of the bun, and garnish with a pickle and a parsley
sprig.
Easy Alabama Potato Salad
Makes 8
servings
I once
met a nice woman from Alabama on a plane, and I quizzed her on what
she and her family liked to eat in the summertime. She shared this
quick, pantry-based recipe for a potato salad that’s bound to bring
back memories of happy times for anyone. I’ve added a favorite
ingredient, toasted pecans, to give it some extra
crunch.
3 lb |
1.5 kg yellow-fleshed potatoes
1/2 red
onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup |
250 mL mayonnaise
1 Tbsp
| 15 mL green hot dog relish
1 Tbsp
| 15 mL prepared mustard
1 tsp |
5 mL sugar
1 tsp |
5 mL white vinegar
sweet
paprika and chopped chives or green onion for garnish
1/2 cup
| 125 mL toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
Peel
the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them in a large pot
of cold salted water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes, uncovered, for 10–15
minutes, until they are almost done. Drain them and let them cool
to room temperature.
Cut the
potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add the red onion. Combine the
mayo, relish, mustard, sugar, and vinegar in a large bowl. Toss the
dressing with the potatoes. Transfer the salad to a serving dish
and garnish it with a dusting of paprika, a sprinkling of chopped
chives or green onion, and the chopped pecans, if
desired.