CJs Lot Burgers

RECIPE OF THE SEASON
Summer

A firehouse favorite barbecue recipe and it's great for summer barbecues

Basic ingredients

1# ground beef
1# Italian sausage
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup cooked rice
2 cloves of pressed garlic
2 can (4 oz) whole green chilies

1 can (14 oz) crushed pineapple
4 slices of pepper jack cheese
4 burger buns
condiments - tomatoes, onions, lettuce etc.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, sausage, almonds, cooked rice, and pressed garlic.
Drain, fillet and quarter the chilies from one can.
With this recipe, I make four 1/2# burgers; so split the meat mixture into eight evenly sized balls. Take two of the meatballs and make them into two thin patties. Place two or three of the chili pieces on the center of one of the patties, top it with the other patty and seal the edges. This makes a burger with a chili center. Continue this process with the other six balls, and you will have four large, uncooked patties.

Cook on a BBQ grille or fry them in a pan. Because they are thick, they take longer to cook than most burgers, so be patient. If you are cooking over a fire or coals, pay close attention. The sausage can cause flare-ups and a disaster may happen.

Burger topper -
While the burgers are cooking, drain and chop the other can of chilies. Also drain about 1/2 of the liquid from the can of pineapple. In a hot frying pan combine the pineapple, juice, and the chilies; and cook them for about four to five minutes, or until the pineapple turns light brown.
Remove from the heat and use this mixture to top the meat. Add the pepper-jack, then tomatoes, onions, lettuce etc. Of course the bun goes on last.

I make this for my crew at the fire station. They agree that the chili-pineapple topper makes this a one of a kind burger worth waiting for.
Serve with something light, like a salad and/or sweet corn on the cob, and enjoy.

Chad Jepperson