Cabernet and Gorgonzola Burger Sliders

Divide the ground beef into three portions of about 1/3 pound for each patty. You can use more beef and more buns to make enough for your party.

Shape each beef portion with your hands into a round patty about ½ inch wider in diameter than your bun. Make a depression in the middle of the patty. This will help ensure that the middle will not bulge out after cooking. Sprinkle some of your favorite meat rub on both sides and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Cover in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge until ready to cook.

Cook the sliced red onions with the butter in a medium hot sauté pan. Season with some more of your favorite meat rub. Cook onions about 5 minutes if you like them less mushy and with some bite, or cook for 15 minutes if you like your onions mushy like onion jam. Then add the Cabernet and simmer until reduced to a syrupy liquid. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat up your grill to 450°F or perform the hand test. The test is a measure of how long you can hold your hand 6 inches above the grill before withdrawing your hand. 2-3 seconds is equivalent to about 450°F. Ensure that your grates are cleaned and oiled before cooking to reduce sticking.

Put patties onto the hot grill, close the grill cover, and wait until they develop a nice char (about 5 minutes). Some flaming is normal as the grease drips but if it flames excessively, move the patty to another spot where it is not flaming. After about 5 minutes, flip them over and repeat to get a nice char on the other side. After char has developed on the second side, move the patty to a cooler spot on your grill and cook until the internal temperature is about 150 F or until there is no pink in the middle (I used an instant read thermometer). During the last minute of cooking, add some crumbled Gorgonzola cheese on the top of the patties and wait until the cheese melts. Remove them from the grill to a clean plate.

Safety note: with burgers, it’s advisable to cook until medium as there could be traces of salmonella if eaten medium rare. Only cook medium rare if you ground the meat yourself from a whole piece of meat where you sliced off possible contaminated surfaces.

Toast the inside surfaces of your burger buns on your grill. Remove once toasted and browned.

Combine the mayo and Sriracha to taste in a small bowl. Spread some spicy mayo on the cut sides of your buns, add greens of your choice on the bottom half, add your melted Gorgonzola beef patty, top with Cabernet onions, more spicy mayo, and the top half of your bun.

Enjoy immediately with your favorite ale or beer.