These are probably the best burgers I've made in a while. Epicurious calls them Jamaican jerk burgers, but anybody that has had good jerk would know that you cannot call this jerk. Whatever you want to call them, they are super juicy and flavorful. The "jerk" marinade is amazing.
To go with these tasty guys, I made a a really refreshing watermelon salad. It may not sound that exciting to you, but we loved it. Turned out to be a really nice, bright side dish that would be great to bring to any backyard bbq.
Juicy Spicy Burgers with Orange-Chipotle Mayo
Jamaican Jerk Burgers from http://www.epicurious.com/
Orange-chipotle mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo
- a pinch of orange zest (I added this and liked it.)
Jerk sauce
- 1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 small habañero chili or 2 medium jalapeño chilies, seeded, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 pounds ground beef (15% fat) (I used ground turkery. Ground pork would work well also.)
- 6 sesame-seed hamburger buns, toasted
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves
For orange-chipotle mayonnaise:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For jerk sauce:
Finely chop first 4 ingredients in processor. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients; process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Set aside 3/4 cup jerk sauce. Shape ground beef into six 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties; place in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup jerk sauce over patties and turn to coat; let stand 20 minutes. (Marinate your burgers for as long as possible. I marinated mine for 6 hours. Also, if you don't have a bbq you can use a grill pan or griddle and can always finish em off in the oven.)
Sprinkle patties with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with remaining jerk sauce, about 4 minutes per side for medium.
Spread mayonnaise over cut surfaces of buns. Place burgers on bottom halves of buns. Top with onion slices, tomato slices, lettuce, and bun tops. Serve, passing reserved 3/4 cup jerk sauce separately.
Jicama & Watermelon Salad
Recipe from http://www.seriouseats.com/
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 jicama, skinned and julienned
- 4 cups watermelon, cut in 1- or 2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
To a large bowl, add orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, honey, pepper, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add jicama, watermelon, and mint to bowl. Stir again to combine. Serve immediately or after chilling for a few hours.
