Hi everyone! This is Gabriel Cabrera.

Whether it’s kick-off night or date night, these fantastic juicy patties will be a palate-pleaser. Pair them up with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and you’re set for success. Drooling already? Yes? Perfect!

Ingredients:

- 1½ lbs. lean ground beef (85% or leaner, I used 90% lean).
- ½ lb. raw beef (or pork) chorizo
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 medium yellow onion ¼” thick julienne (fancy english for slices)
- 8 oz. cremini “baby bella” mushrooms, sliced
- Sea salt for seasoning
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic OR fresh chopped garlic (see notes!!)
- 8 oz. Havarti cheese, 1/8-inch thick slices (I used smoked havarti)
- 4 to 6 soft ciabatta rolls

Notes:

*If you’re using fresh garlic, add it towards the end or it’ll burn in the grill or oven.
*I added a bit of oregano to mine for an extra touch of yum (about ½ tablespoon)

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine the ground beef and chorizo and squeeze the two using your fingers until you are confident they are evenly mixed. Did they make sweet love? Yes? Good, moving on. Now it’s time to divide the burger mix evenly into one burger patty for each guest.

2. Roll the burger into balls and pat back and forth between your hands. Once the meat ball has sealed, place on a flat surface and press until you have a burger roughly 6-inches in diameter - I used a metal ring to make them look more pro and perfectly round.

3. Refrigerate for up to 15 minutes prior to cooking, and then allow the burger to come up in temperature a little, you want to avoid massive shrinkage with your meat… ya know what I mean? (haha ok I’ll stop).

4. Preheat the grill OR if you’re like “shit, my grill is in storage, yo!” then just cook them using a regular pan with some oil.

5. Mix the butter, onions, mushrooms, salt to taste, pepper and garlic together in a bowl and wrap tight in a layered package of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the veggie packet on the grill over indirect heat and cook for approximately 10 to 12 minutes depending on desired doneness. To keep the onions from sticking, pick the packet up every 3 minutes using tongs and shake it a little.

Side note: If using a pan, I just browned my mushrooms on high heat, and added the onions on the side (to caramelize), then added the garlic at the end.

6. Place the burgers over direct heat; feel free to move around the grill, flipping the burger when the flames rise. This mixture had substantial fat that likes to burn. Cook burger to desired temperature and doneness. (If using a pan, just fry until they’re done, you don’t need a lot of oil).

Add a slice of cheese on top of the burgers just as they’re getting done, this way the cheese will slowly melt on top of it. Perfection!

Assemble:

Get your buns warmed up, slap some mayo in there, add the juicy patty with cheese, and top with the mushroom/garlic mix. You can add tomy-toms and lettuce for extra crunch.

Get a glass of vino (Cabernet Sauvignon is the bomb dot com for this recipe, I may or may not have drunk plenty of it while cooking) and ba-da-boom, time to hit it!

Big thanks to The Artful Desperado for making this recipe come to life!