Mushroom Blended Burgers

It’s officially burger season…fire up the grill! Bored with the same old burgers? I have a new grilled hamburger recipe for you to try out; Mushroom Blended Burgers. The mushrooms lend flavor and moisture and stretch the ground beef a little further. If you aren’t a beef eater, simply substitute ground chicken or turkey. Let’s get cooking!

Mushroom Blended Burgers

For the Mushroom mixture:

1 Pint of fresh Cremini or Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped fine
1/2 cup sliced scallion, both the green and white parts (reserve a couple of tablespoons of the green for garnishing burgers)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef broth or water
pinch each of salt and freshly ground pepper

Place chopped fresh mushrooms, salt pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the red wine and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. There should be just a small amount of liquid left in the mixture. Carefully taste and add more salt or pepper as necessary. Let mushrooms cool for a few minutes before proceeding with burgers.

This mushroom mixture is also known as Duxelles.

For the Burgers:

16 ounces lean ground chuck
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
grated or sliced sharp cheddar cheese
hamburger buns

Preheat grill to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 1/2 cup of the mushroom mixture and all the ground chuck in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper, the sriracha, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar and stir the mixture together with a meat fork or large stiff spatula until mixed well.

Divide burger mixture into four to six portions and form into patties, pressing down slightly in middle of the patty.

Grill burgers 2 minutes on each side to sear the meat, then reduce heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or set grill to medium) and cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes, or until internal temperature inserted in the thickest part of the blended burger reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove burgers from grill immediately to a clean plate, add one ounce of cheese to the top of each burger and let rest 10 minutes.

Turn grill heat to low. Brush the inside top and bottom of burger buns with the burger plate juices and place on the grill to toast for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove buns from grill to a clean serving plate.

To assemble the Mushroom Blended Burger, place one blended burger patty on the bottom of each bun. Top each burger with one fourth of the mushroom mixture. Scoop up any melted cheese and blended burger drippings from the bottom of the plate and drizzle it over top of the four burgers. Garnish with green scallion slices, place bun tops on and serve.