Cooking burgers on the grill is one of the hallmarks of summer, and why should vegetarians have to miss out on all the fun, or suffer through a sandwich comprised of a partially frozen disk of cardboard hastily dried out upon an open flame? This recipe works equally well for ground chuck, ground buffalo, ground turkey, or one of the many plant-based burger substitutes.
Like many good ideas, this one gets a little bit better each time we make it, and the base recipe was passed on to Hutch’s mom before making its way to us. While we can’t credit the original source, it’s been a hit every time we’ve shared with friends. The Otzi Gear Flame Grill offers one of the best reasons to try this recipe somewhere beautiful.
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We are certainly no strangers to unique and tasty burger toppings. Ever try a fried egg and pickled beet slice? Don’t mind if I do! Hatch chilis with avocado and Monterey Jack? Yes, please! This particular fusion of flavors truly blew our minds. "That sauce is FAR OUT!" Hutch exclaimed the first time he tasted it, and indeed, it is.
Most of this work can be done ahead of time, but as you can see in the video, it is super easy to do even while camping. The burger mixture can wait overnight if it is refrigerated. The sauce keeps well for about 4 days in the fridge (as if you could wait that long!) and is remarkably good in salads, slaw, sandwiches, over eggs, anything grilled, and does double time as an amazing veggie dip. Trust us, you'll suddenly find a reason to put this sauce on everything!
The original recipe calls for water chestnuts in the mix, we once substituted fresh jicama out of necessity and loved it so much that we’ve never gone back. The fresh jicama offers a less salty finish to the burger than the canned water chestnuts. As for plant-based substitutes, we prefer Beyond Meat to anything else, because it tends to crisp up a bit more like real beef burgers, but that’s all up to the taste of the griller.
(Makes 4 x ¼ pound burgers)
Far Out Sauce!
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (Fage works best)
- 1/2 tightly-packed cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste
Fusion Burgers
- 1 package Beyond Beef (1 pound) or regular beef, ground turkey...whatever.
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh jicama, (or water chestnuts) cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup coarsely crushed pretzels or Ritz crackers
- 1.5 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
-
1 egg
Toppings
- Your favorite burger buns
- 1 medium cucumber, ultra-thin slices with veggie peeler or mandolin
- Fresh cilantro branches
Instructions
- Make the sauce by pureeing the mayonnaise, mint leaves, sugar, lime juice, and the hot sauce with a food processor or immersion blender. Chill the sauce until you are ready to use it (up to 4 days).
- In a large bowl, blend together all the burger ingredients and divide into 4 burgers. You can chill (covered) until ready to cook (up to 24 hours).
- Cook the burgers, turning them multiple times to make sure it all cooks. If using Beyond Beef for the first time, it cooks very similarly to regular beef. We like to sear the outside a bit for an extra caramelized flavor.
- Toast the buns, slather the sauce generously on both sides, and top with cilantro and cucumbers slices.
- Serve up the burgers and enjoy!
To make the slaw shown in the video:
Use a mandolin to thinly slice purple cabbage, carrots, apples, slivered almonds, and green onions. Mix well, add Far Out Sauce, and cracked black pepper to taste.
Meet the authors: Shari and Hutch from Freedom in a Can!
In 2012, Shari Galiardi & David Hutchison left behind careers and a comfortable home in North Carolina to travel with the vintage camper trailer they lovingly restored, outfitted with solar, and named "Hamlet." What began as a short break from careers and responsibility quickly turned into a love affair with roadlife. They have parlayed their higher education backgrounds, desire for life-long learning, and thirst for adventure travel into writing, photography, video production, public speaking gigs from coast to coast, and cooking. Known to their friends as simply Shari & Hutch, you can learn more about their full-time, solar-powered adventures on their website at freedominacan.com. Or, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as “Freedom in a Can, LLC.”
