So, as stupid as it sounds, I am trying to perfect a signature burger for an entry in a competition. That is what food network does.... makes you think you can play with the big dogs. I want to preface this with the fact that I realize I am not in the same league (or even close) as those people, but I believe in challenging myself, so here I go... I decided to make this burger in ode to Michigan, my home state. I instantly thought of apples and Vernor's ginger ale. I am not going to post the recipe, not because it is a big secret, but because I was not super happy with the results. The idea was to have a pork burger (made from ground pork, shredded apples, and panko bread crumbs), topped with provolone, bacon, spinach, apple and onion chutney (made with apples and onions sauteed with butter, ginger ale, and brown sugar), and ginger ale reduction mayonnaise (made with reduced Vernors, mayo, and green onions) on top of a toasted bun. The bread I chose was not great, and the pork needed a ton more flavor. I was happy with the way it looked, and the best thing I can say is that it didn't taste bad.... just not as good as I wanted. As you can probably guess there was a bit more work than the average burger for it to taste just okay..... Stay tuned for more burger ideas... hopefully better than this one!
Kelli, your burger sounds really good and different...I can't wait to try your recipe when your done! I don't know if you're interested, but Penzeys sells sausage seasoning that might be used to add more flavor to the ground port.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyssausageseasonings.html
I have a friend from MI and she swears by Vernors when she's sick!
Hope your having a great summer!