From Smooth Cooking by Sharon O'Connor
From the recipe files of keyboard player Bob James. It's hard to improve on a great American classic, but Bob has added some uniquely Jamesian touches that take his Smooth Jazz Burgers over the top.
- 2 pounds sirloin beef
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- 1 shot of bourbon (optional)
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce, preferably Lea & Perrins
- ½ cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
- 4 sesame hamburger buns or English muffins, split
- Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
- Thinly sliced red onion
- 4 tomato slices
- Iceberg lettuce leaves
1. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill or a broiler.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground sirloin, salt, pepper, optional Dijon mustard and bourbon, and just enough barbecue sauce to moisten the meat as you shape it into eight ½-inch-thick patties.
3. Sprinkle the cheese over a patty and add an extra dollop in the center. Top with a second patty and use your fingers to mold the two burgers together at the edges to form one thick patty. Repeat to make 4 burgers.
4. Grill the patties, turning once, or broil them about 3 inches from the heat source, 3 to 4 minutes on each side for rare; 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium; and 8 minutes per side for well done. The burgers should be a little charred on the outside but most with the melted cheese on the inside.
5. Lightly brush the buns or English muffins with olive oil and grill or broil for 1 minute, or until lightly toasted. Serve the hamburgers with some extra sauce, red onion, tomato, and lettuce.
Make 4 servings