Obviously, this is not a vegetarian recipe. But I can’t resist the aroma and sounds and sights and taste of a burger fresh off the grill. This is inspired by the Whiskey Barrel Burgers from Better Home and Gardens with just a few adaptations to my personal taste.

This recipe makes 8 patties that are stuffed with Cheddar Whiskey Filling, and then topped later during the grilling with a little Cheddar Whiskey Filling as well.

The original recipe called for putting these on your toasted kaiser or hamburger roll along with lettuce, red onion, red or yellow tomatoes, and barbecue sauce. However, I didn’t want to use that lovely whiskey and then bury it in the flavors of bbq sauce.

Ingredients:

• Cheddar Whiskey Filling
  • 2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons whiskey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Whiskey Burger Patties
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup whiskey
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt or garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork

Directions:

1. First, let’s make the Cheddar Whiskey Filling. This is going to make a cheddar whiskey mixture, half of which you put inside the burger patty and half of which you are going to put on top later during grilling. Pretty straightforward- in a food processor, mix together until almost smooth all the ingredients: shredded cheese, chopped green onion, minced garlic, whiskey and Worcestershire sauce. Partially through the processing, make sure you pause to scrape down the walls and then finish processing! Set aside for now.
   
2. Now, for the Whiskey Burger Patties. In a large bowl combine green onions, minced garlic, bread crumbs, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce, melted butter, garlic, seasoned salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Add ground beef and ground pork; mix well. You know you will have to be doing all this with your clean hands to really get in there. When everything is well incorporated, you are going to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick patties: each patty will probably start out as you pull it from the bowl as a an amount about the size of a chinese medicine ball that you then flatten out, to give you some idea.
   
3. Next to bring some of that Cheddar Whiskey Filling in. Add 1 tablespoon of the Cheddar-Whiskey Filling on the center of each of eight of the patties. This should use half of your Cheddar Whiskey Filling that you have set aside (you are going to use the rest later during the grilling process).
   
4. Now, top the eight patties that have the Cheddar Whiskey Filling with the other unadorned eight patties, sealing the Cheddar Whiskey Filling in.
   
5. In a storage container layer patties between sheets of waxed paper and put in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
6. Next day: it’s grilling time! You are going to wait until your charcoal grill is at medium heat, and of course you are going to have a drip pan, right? Place patties on the grill rack over the drip pan and then cover your grill for about 10 minutes. Turn patties; cover and grill for 5 minutes. Top each patty with 1 tablespoon of the remaining Cheddar Whiskey Filling. Cover and grill about 5 minutes more or until done (160 degrees F. If using a different kind of grill other than a charcoal grill, adjust according to your grill).

Because I wanted a little more spice to this, I added a pepperjack cheese to my burger.

These burgers were delicious! In the future, I may add more spice, possibly even dicing in some jalapenos for more kick.

What are you grilling this summer? How do you like to put together your burger?

And, if you don’t want to stand in front of a fire grilling, I have another option for you: August 11 (Monday of next week) kicks off Portland Burger Week thanks to Portland Mercury, Nicky USA, Widmer Brothers Brewing and Jim Beam. This year there will be 20 locations varying from Ate Oh Ate or Burnside Brewing to Hop & Vine, Mi Mere Mole, Smallwares, and White Owl Social all offering $5 burgers for one week only (Aug 11 – 17). Check out the list, find something conveniently located to you, and plan some burger awesomeness next week!