Burger (Jamaican Jerk Burger)

Spice up your hamburger with the feisty flavours of Jamaican jerk, habanero, allspice, cinnamon and ginger. Served with a citrus coleslaw. Scotch Bonnet and Habanero chile peppers are very hot and can cause extreme pain if they come in contact with your eyes. We strongly recommend wearing protective gloves while handling the chilies and the jerk mixture.

Jerk Sauce:
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
½ Scotch bonnet or habanero chili pepper, seeds removed, minced
½ cup green onion, including greens, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. molasses
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Burger:
1½ lbs ground beef, at least 16% fat

Coleslaw:
2 cups cabbage, shredded
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 pinch thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. orange or lime juice, freshly squeezed (if using lime juice add a tsp. of sugar)
1 tsp. orange or lime zest, freshly grated
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Make the Jerk Sauce:
In a food processor, put the vinegar, water, chili, green onion, garlic, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, molasses, ½ tsp. each of salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor, finely mince the chili, garlic and green onion. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.

Make the Patties:
Using your hands, gently mix the jerk mixture in with the ground beef in a large bowl until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Shape into patties, about ½" thick and wider than the diameter of your hamburger bun.

Chill the Patties:
Chill about 30 minutes or until you are ready to cook. (Remember to wear gloves while handling jerk seasoning or thoroughly wash hands with soap and water after handling.)

Make the Coleslaw:
In a medium bowl, gently mix the cabbage, red onion, thyme, mayonnaise, citrus juice, zest, salt and pepper.

Grill the Jerk Burgers:
Prepare gas or charcoal grill for cooking over high direct heat. Place the patties on the clean, well-oiled grill grate. Grill the burgers for about 5 minutes per side. Do not press down on the burgers while cooking. If you don't have a grill, you can use a grill pan or a cast iron frying pan.

To Serve:
Serve burgers topped with coleslaw, with or without hamburger buns.

Makes 4 servings.