If all goes according to plan today, and we all know damned well that life rarely does, when this post loads onto the blog this morning (6 AM) She Who Must Be Obeyed and I will be motoring over Snoqualmie Pass eastbound to Bozeman.
We’ve both been anticipating this escape to home country for a while and have been chatting with friends back in Bozeman, including our favorite mountain-country geezer Ed.
Among other things Ed wanted to know what I planned to cook for him while we were in town. Despite my protestations this has become sort of a regular affair when we’re back visiting, and Ed almost always has something in mind he’d like us to conjure up for him.
I told Ed that IF he could make something close to summer weather appear we’d grill whatever he wanted – he immediately pronounced that we’d be having Jalapeno Bacon Burgers.
We helped Ed serve these at a little get together he hosted a few years ago and came up with a killer glaze (Ed’s Coffee Kicker Glaze, which Ed somehow always remembers as Ed’s Coffee Kickass Glaze) for the onions and the burgers.
Like most great things in life, the burgers and the glaze are shamefully simple yet at the same time sheer genius when executed properly.
Add a big pile of oven-crisped sweet potato fries, a cold beer and a comfortable chair around the fire pit and you’re in Montana summer heaven.
By the way, the glaze is magic on grilled pork tenderloin and those sweet potato fries too…
Jalapeno Burgers
2 pounds ground beef (hamburger grind)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped small
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. chopped seeded jalapeño
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh teaspoon ground pepperEd’s Coffee Kicker Glaze
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee crystals
2 tsp. chili powder
1/3 cup butter, melted16 bacon slices, cooked crisp and drained
2 large sweet onions, thick sliced, grilled with glaze
8 nice burger buns
Sharp white cheddar, grated, 2 cups
Miscellaneous fixin’s as you desire
Patty up. Gently mix all burger ingredients, shape (using correct technique of course) into 8 patties. Place on cookie sheet and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 8.
Make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small pan over medium low heat; stir until well mixed and the instant coffee has dissolved. Remove from heat, whisk in the butter until smooth. Set aside.
Fire the grill and cook the bacon.
Grill ‘em up. Gently place the burgers and onion slabs on the grill, coat with glaze and cook for (roughly) 5 minutes per side until done to your satisfaction. Baste with glaze now and again, and melt the cheese on in the last 3 minutes or so.
Build a burger and serve. Ed likes to put glaze on the bottom bun, add lettuce, sliced tomato, then the meat with more glaze, then onion and more glaze, then the top bun. Serve with more of this killer glaze on the side.
Enjoy.
