Sunday, July 25, 2010

Market Square Farmers' Market Burger

The July theme for the Outdoor Cooking Guild is .....

Farmers Markets. Farmers markets and farm markets are different things, so keep that in mind... A farm market is a market at a farm, with one cash register, etc. A farmers market is where several farmers set up booths, usually in a community based market and usually 1-3 days a week to sell the stuff they produce. So the challenge is to get stuff at a farmers market and cook with it outside! Pretty simple, really.

Alexis and I headed to Knoxville's Market Square Farmers' Market about a quarter til "holy BLEEP it's hot out there". I wasn't sure what we were going to make so we just bought stuff I knew we would use this week including a variety of peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, beef, pork, brauts, corn, and eggs.


We also had to stop by Strawberry Fields Market to supplement our supplies with Benton bacon, homemade pimento cheese, and green leaf lettuce.

I decided to go simple yesterday and made two versions of a stuffed cheese burger. These are basic, nothing earth shaking which is why you HAVE to use quality ingredients. There's nothing to hide inferior quality.

Market Square Farmers' Market Burger
Source: Nibble Me This

2 1/2 lbs ground beef (grass fed) from River Ridge Farms
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup steak sauce (used the Habanero Steak Sauce I made yesterday)
2 eggs from Spring Creek Farm
3 slices Cumberland Cheese from Locust Grove Farms
3 Tbsp homemade pimento cheese from Yoder's Country Market
2 ea Better Boy tomatoes, sliced from Crosswind Farm
3 slices Benton Bacon
Leaf lettuce
6 hamburger rolls

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly but try not to smash it all together. Divide into 12 even portions. Form each portion into a thin 4" patty.

Top 3 of the patties with the Cumberland Cheese. This is the best cheese in the world. It is their manchego cheese with green peppercorns, sweet red chili’s, onion, garlic, and ginger added. I have to warn you, it is hard to cook with.....only because you can't quit snacking on it instead of using it.

Top 3 of the patties with 1 Tbsp each of the pimento cheese. This is not yucky store bought stuff. If you don't have access to quality handmade pimento cheese, make your own, it's easy.

Cap those six patties with the remaining 6 patties and seal the edges.


Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the patties to firm up. This will HELP keep them from rupturing a cheese leak during the cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon and preheat your grill to 450f.

Grill the burgers for 8 minutes, flipping and turning 90 degrees every 2 minutes.

For the record...I said it HELPS prevent cheese leaks. Don't panic if you get a leaker.

Serve on toasted rolls with bacon, lettuce and tomato.
I have a hard time picking which of these two I liked better. I think it would be more of a "which am I in the mood for today" kind of thing.

I'll post a link to Curt's site when the round up of the challenge is posted.