Summer means two things to me: Cleveland Indians baseball and grilling. As soon as the temperatures top 50 degrees, I start itching to get outside and cook something.
One of my favorite summertime dishes is something my mother used to make for us and I've continued to make.
The provolone burger is easy to put together and a delicious choice on a nice summer evening.
Article Photos
Provolone burgers are a bit outside the norm, but they are easy to put together and a delicious choice on a nice summer evening.
The first thing that you have to do is get your hands a little dirty and mix all the spices and meat together. It's much like making a meatloaf, except instead of tossing it into a pan and baking the mixture, you are going to make patties and throw them on the grill.
I tend to not follow exact measurements on spices when making things because I believe its a matter of taste. I know that I really like oregano in my food, so I use a little more than a recipe may call for. In the same way, I tend to use a little less salt than most.
These burgers are a bit outside the normal burger and may not seem as though they will appeal to younger children, but I have made these for a number of children and they love them.
Fact Box
Provolone burgers
Note:?Season to taste
1 egg
finely chopped onion
basil
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper
one pound ground beef
four slices provolone cheese
buns
lettuce
Combine beef, egg, onion, basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl. After mixing well, make four patties.
Get grill hot and once ready, place patties on grill. Cook to preferred doneness.
Place slice of provolone cheese on top of patty and let melt.
Place on bun, top with lettuce and desired condiments and serve.
My biggest piece of advice is to chop the fresh onion as finely and as small as you can. I know a number of people who swear that they don't like onion and will be quickly turned off at the sight of an onion mixed in their burger. However, if you can get those chopped up real fine, they add such a great flavor to the meat and those who ''hate'' onions will never know they are enjoying them.
The best part of these burgers is that they are simple. It takes only a few minutes to mix the meat and make patties and then once they are on the grill, it takes about 10 minutes until they are ready to eat.
Something that I've had to learn as I try to perfect my grill skills is that you must get the grill going before you put any meat on it. I used to kick on the gas, get the fire going and then throw whatever I was making onto it.
I've learned that it is important to really get that grill heated up before you do anything. So it would not hurt to get the fire going before you start making the meat mixture, and by the time the burgers are ready to go, the grill will be nice and hot.
It's hard to say how long the meat should stay on the grill as these are just like any other red meat. I prefer my steaks and red meat to be medium done and a little closer to medium well for ground meat. That is a taste preference, but remember that these do have raw egg in them.
Once you've reached the preferred doneness of the burger, place a slice of provolone cheese on top of the meat and let it melt for a minute or two. If you can get a little steam under the hood of your grill, that will melt the cheese nicely. Me, I use my son's water gun and spray a little water into the flame to get a good smoke going.
As good as these burgers are on their own, the biggest question that you face after making them is what to put on top of them.
Now, for most people, a simple slice of lettuce and the traditional ketchup and mustard are just fine. Others, a few slices of leftover fresh onion does the trick. For me, I normally just throw a little Heinz 57 on top and I'm ready to go.
As for what to make alongside this burger, there is really no wrong way to go. Personally, I don't care for corn on the cob, but as a summer staple, throwing a couple ears on the grill while the burgers are cooking is a great way to go.
For this, I decided to do something that my family loves and grill up some zucchini.
Just dice the zucchini and place it in foil, put a little butter into the foil and on top of the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and set on the grill.
Complete the meal with a fresh tossed salad and you have a very easy, tasty, warm summer evening meal that will please everyone in the house.
You can even turn these burgers into sliders if you want to have a little more fun with it and cater to the kids.