This year, I'm so excited to be a part of Burger Month, hosted by Kita Roberts (@girlcarnivore). Anyone who knows me IRL, knows I am a cheeseburger girl. Like, given the choice of a final meal on death row, I would definitely have a cheeseburger and fries and probably a milkshake...but I digress. Kita has put together a group of awesome food bloggers, chefs, photographers, etc who all love burgers as much as I do and to celebrate May being National Burger Month, we are sharing photos and recipes all month long. So get your grill heating up, because there is lots of cookout inspiration heading your way!
Now, here in Western North Carolina, we are blessed with a huge variety of fruits, vegetables and some truly ingenious artisan products. Since, I absolutely love using local food and products as much as possible, I decided to dream up the perfect Appalachia Burger to represent for my hometown. To start, we need ground beef and pork from Hickory Nut Gap Farms in Fairview, NC. Plus throw in a little bacon, because bacon, duh! Add in some fried locally foraged ramps and sweeten it all with a little homemade Cheerwine BBQ sauce. Now, if I could have dairy, I'd definitely have a big hunk of cheese from one of our many local cheesemongers, but I topped mine off with some vegan cheese from Follow Your Heart (I know it's a bit hypocritical to pop vegan cheese on a three meat burger, but I am an unabashedly proud carnivore). And last but not least, a delicious gluten-free bun from Schaer
Without further ado, the recipe:
Ingredients
For the Cheerwine BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
- ¼ Cup Onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 1 Cup Cheerwine
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
For the burger
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef 15% Fat
- ½ pound Ground Pork 20% Fat, you can also use breakfast sausage here
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Bacon 2-3 slices per burger
- Ramps Bulbs thinly sliced about ¼ C per burger
Instructions
For the Cheerwine BBQ Sauce
- Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add onions. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add in the ketchup, Cheerwine, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, mustard and vinegar. Whisk well. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
- While your sauce is simmering away, prepare your burger patties.
For the burgers
- Dump all the ingredients (except bacon and ramps) into a large bowl and squish together with your hands until it is well mixed. Portion out the meat into patties - I feel like you can make 4-6 nice thick patties, but size them how you like. Cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.
- Cook some bacon!! I like 2-3 slices per burger. So depending on how many you're feeding, prepare enough bacon accordingly. Once the bacon is done, place it onto a paper towel lined plate. Pour of the bacon grease, but don't clean the pan. Put the pan back on medium heat and throw the ramps into the leftover grease. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, until crispy, stir frequently.
- While your bacon and ramps are cooking, you should be grilling your burgers. Serve everything as soon as it's ready.
- Build the burger to your liking and ENJOY!!
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.