Beef + Feta Cheese Burger with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce
Recipe makes 4 to 6 entree portions
Ingredients + Cooking
1 ½ pounds Ground Beef (from a 100% free range & grass fed beef source)
1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
8 ounces Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese (blend of sheep and goat milk is good too), finely crumbled
4 to 6 Burger Buns or other bread for serving
In a large mixing bowl stir together the garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Add the ground beef and the feta cheese; massage the spices into the meat and cheese. Divide meat into 4 equal portions (6 ounce burgers per person) or 6 equal portions (4 ounce burgers per person) then form each portion into a firm burger patty. Press your thumb into the top center of each patty to make an indention about a ¼ inch deep. (This indention helps keep the shape of the patty as it cooks.)
Preheat the oven to 400F convection. Lightly oil a baking pan with rimmed sides. Arrange the burger patties on the baking pan leaving one inch of space between each burger. Place the pan in the oven and bake the burgers for 8 to 10 minutes until the internal temperature registers between 145F and 155F (or break a burger apart to see if the meat is cooked through.) ***See note about other cooking options.
Place each cooked burger on its bun and spoon a tablespoon of the barbecue sauce on top. Add sliced tomato or lettuce to the burgers if you like.
***The addition of feta cheese to these burgers makes them more suitable for baking. Sautéing or grilling the burgers can cause the cheese to burn on the exterior, yet both of these cooking methods will produce a delicious burger if you are using a low, controlled heat.
To sauté the burgers, you must use a good quality, non-toxic non-stick sauté pan, or a ceramic coated pan, and cook them in grapeseed oil, or another high heat cooking oil, over moderate heat. Do not increase the stove temperature any further than a medium setting. The cheese on the exterior of the burgers will become a bit charred, which can be a nice touch if you like this flavor addition to your burgers. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes on each side to sauté these burgers to the appropriate temperature.
For grilling these burgers it is best to cook them over indirect heat with the grill set to a moderate cooking temperature (about 300F air temperature). Preheating a cast iron skillet on the grill, and then cooking the burgers directly in the skillet inside the closed grill is the best way to lock in the juiciness of these beef feta burgers but also create a nice crust on the exterior. Test the internal temperature of the burgers to determine when they are ready to serve.
For medium rare burgers, ground beef from a free range, high quality source should be cooked to 145F internal temperature. For a more cooked texture for the burgers aim for 155F internal temperature. If you are using meat from an unfamiliar source the safest approach is to cook the meat to 160F internal temperature but due to the very lean composition of free-range beef your burgers will be a bit dry and crumbly in finished texture.
Pineapple Barbecue Sauce
1 pound Fresh Pineapple, skin removed and fruit chopped
2 Tb. Whole Grain Mustard
15 ounces can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes (preferably Muir Glen or 365 brand)
2 Tb. Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Hot Sauce (such as Sriracha, Tabasco or Pete’s), or more to taste
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cover the pan; bring mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer sauce to the blender and puree until smooth.
Once sauce has cooled it can be kept refrigerated for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 3 months.