Cuban-style burgers on the grill
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| Picture from FoodNetwork.com |
2 lbs ground chuck
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup high-quality mayo - this is critical
3 cloves roasted garlic (see below for directions*)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
4 soft, classic hamburger buns
8 slices thinly sliced Swiss cheese
4 slices thinly sliced smoked ham
2 dill pickles, sliced 1/4 inch thick - I used dill sandwich pickles
- Preheat the grill, to high
- Form meat into 4, 1/4 inch burgers
- Season meat with salt and pepper on both sides
- Grill for 2-3 min on both sides, for medium
- Once burgers are done, remove from heat and reduce to medium-low
- Spread garlic mayo and the mustard on both buns
- Place a slice of cheese on the bottom of each bun
- Then layer the burger, ham, more cheese, and the pickle on the bun
- Wrap the burgers in foil and place on the grill
- Use a heavy pan or brick and press on the burgers for 30 sec to 1 min
- Cover the grill and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until cheese is melted
Roasted garlic mayo*
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Take 1 whole garlic bulb and peal off the outer layers of skin, but keeping all the cloves intact
- Chop off the top 1/4 inch of the bulb
- Place garlic in tin foil and drizzle in extra virgin olive oil
- Wrap the garlic in a pouch, leaving room at the top
- Roast for about 30-45 min, until golden brown - it's important to make sure this is roasted well enough, otherwise the flavor will be too mild in the mayo
- Once roasted, take the pulp out of 3 cloves and puree
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic and mayo
- Season with salt and pepper
This garlic mayo is so good, it's like Franks Red Hots, "I put that sh*t on everything!". Also, if you make it a day ahead of time, it will all be sooo much better :-)
