Wednesday, June 29, 2011

"No Mess" Cheeseburgers for the 4th of July


365 Day 196
Flickr photo by Collin Harvey

I was browsing through a bunch of Fourth of July recipes and discovered this great tip for making cheeseburgers without the mess of melted cheese dripping and burning on your grill grates or grilling tools. I call these "Surprise" Cheeseburgers, and I bet they'll be a big hit with kids. So the next time you plan on making cheeseburgers, think outside the box--or inside the burger!

This is a basic recipe that focuses on the meat-to-cheese ratios and the technique. Feel free to add whatever seasonings you wish to the ground meat (e.g., salt & pepper, minced garlic, etc.), and use any type of ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, venison, meat combo, etc.) as well as any type of cheese so long as it's shredded. The ratio to use is 1 cup of shredded cheese per 1 pound of ground meat, and I make 4 burgers per pound of meat. If you want to season the raw ground meat, work the seasonings into the meat before you start making the burgers.


cheese filled teriyaki burger
Flickr photo by telepathicparanoia
To make the "Surprise" cheeseburgers, use your hands to divide the pound of ground meat into 4 equal balls. Place one of the balls in one hand and use your other hand's fingers to press the center in and push the sides out, creating a meat "cup." Place 1/4 cup shredded cheese in the meat cup, then press the sides of the cup back over the cheese to completely encase it in the ground meat. Carefully press the cheese-filled meat into a patty, making sure none of the cheese filling is exposed. Repeat for the remaining 3 balls of meat. Grill the burgers as desired (no need to add a slice of cheese on top unless you want to make "double-cheese surprise burgers"), and serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings and burger condiments.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company

PS:  Don't settle for boring supermarket condiments to top your surprise burgers. A gourmet stuffed cheeseburger deserves an extraordinary ketchup or mustard, which you'll find on our Mustard & Ketchup page.
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2 comments:

  1. Sydney StoneJuly 8, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    I think "Pleasant Surprise" Cheeseburgers might be more accurate for this recipe. I made them over the 4th of July holiday weekend and, boy, were they a hit! The whole "no mess" aspect make these burgers the perfect beach cuisine for even the sloppiest of eaters-no bathing suit stains or sand-in-burger incidents to report! Thanks for the recipe, Gloria. I would love to make these again sometime soon; perhaps you could recommend one of your many Carolina Sauce Company products to enhance this already delicious treat. Thanks again for making my 4th of July weekend that much tastier!

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  2. UnknownJuly 8, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    I'm so glad the "Pleasant Surprise" cheeseburgers were so popular! As to condiments, we carry several different ketchups and mustards, as well as steak sauces and salsas which would taste good on burgers and cheeseburgers. I personally prefer ketchup rather than mustard on burgers, and one of my favorites is Melinda's Jalapeno Ketchup because it's spicy without being too hot, plus it's all-natural. If you're looking for a nice mustard, you can't go wrong with a Carolina favorite like Bone Suckin' Mustard, with its sweet & sassy flavor. Sometimes I'll use steak sauce instead of ketchup, and I particularly like Walkerswood One Stop Savory Sauce because of its robust, subtly exotic flavor (it's a traditional Caribbean "brown sauce" that's used at the table and tastes similar to American steak sauces). It's especially good on venison burgers, if you're feeling adventurous. I hope you'll give one or more of these a try, and do let me know how you like them. Thanks for reading my blog, and for your feedback on the recipe!

    Zestfully yours,
    Gloria

    PS: We're currently closed for moving, which is why you can't order products at this time (and some sections of our website are "under construction"), but our Grand Re-Opening is coming up later this month and will be announced in our July e-Newsletter. Stay tuned for big news when we re-open!

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