Churrasco Burgers

When summer comes one of the first things we like to dust off and haul out of the garage is our charcoal grill. Grilling is year round for us, but the snowy deck makes it difficult to use anything other than our big gas grill. I'll be honest, I really do think charcoal grilling reigns supreme-there is just something about that charcoal taste and the gas grill just doesn't compare.

Today's recipe is a grand prize winning recipe I created for a World Harbors contest (ironically the prize was a gas grill for tailgating!) The World Harbor sauces have since become staples in our house-in particular the Argentine style Chimichurri flavor. Chimichurri is fairly simple to make from scratch and I'll probably add a recipe for that down the road, but when you are in a rush (and who isn't these days at dinner time?) or if you are tailgating, this sauce is a great fill in. The sauces can be found in the condiment section of the supermarket usually near the salad dressings.

In South America, churrasco refers to meat that is cooked over mesquite charcoal usually in a pit dug right in the ground. Traditionally the meat was cooked on spits and the cowboys or gauchos would use their churrasco knives to cut a portion of the meat off. These burgers combine mesquite charcoal grilled meat with onions grilled in World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri …no churrasco knife needed.

Churrasco Burgers with Argentine Style Chimichurri Onions

Mesquite Charcoal (optional)
Chimichurri onions:
1 bottle World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri
2 large red onions, peeled

Patties:
2 1/2 pounds freshly ground certified Angus Chuck
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Oil to brush the grill
6 Mexican Bolillo buns (Telera ,Portuguese or kaiser rolls may be substituted if Bolillo buns are unavailable)

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

To make the Chimichurri onions, pour the bottle of World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri into a large bowl. Slice the red onion and separate into rings. Add the onions to the chimichurri in the bowl and toss to coat the onions completely. Pour the mixture into a 10 inch non-stick, fireproof skillet. Cover with a lid, and place on the grill rack. Cook the onion mixture for 15-20 minutes or until onions are very tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the grill and set aside and cover to keep warm.

To make the patties, season the beef with the salt and garlic in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Form the mixture into six equal sized patties, shaped to fit the buns.

Brush the grill rack lightly with oil. Place the patties on the grill rack, cover and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5-6minutes on each side for medium. During the last few minutes of cooking, arrange buns, cut side down on the outer edges of the grill rack and lightly toast.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on the bottom half of each toasted roll and top with a generous portion of the chimichurri onions, evenly dividing. Top with the remaining bun halves and serve. Makes 6 burgers.