Ingredients:
For the burger:
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
- Burger seasoning, to taste (we used paprika, light brown sugar, salt, and pepper)
- Ciabatta Buns
- 4 slices of cheddar cheese
- Butter leaf lettuce
- 8 strips of thick-cut bacon
- 2 sliced avocados
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- Pickles
For the sauce*:
- 16 oz California Giant strawberries, quartered
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stem and seeds removed, quartered
- 2 T canola oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
*you can use this sauce in many other BBQ favorites, like these Strawberry Ancho BBQ Ribs!
Directions:
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Heat a large saute pan over medium/high heat.
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Add 2 T canola oil and the dried ancho chiles, stir for 1 minute to soften chiles.
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Add quartered strawberries and stir to combine, cook for 3 minutes while stirring every 30 seconds.
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Add the red wine vinegar and molasses, stir to combine, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
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Remove from pan into a blender, add 1 tsp kosher salt, the juice of one lemon, and blend until smooth.
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Strain through a fine mesh strainer (gives a smooth consistency, but not a must if you don’t have).
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning and form mixture into 1/4 pound patties.
- Press the center of the patty to indent and grill to preferred doneness.
- Grill ciabatta buns to toast and add cheese if desired.
- Assemble using your favorite burger toppings (and lots of strawberry ancho BBQ sauce!)
