Caprese Burger

May…come on down!! Warmer temps, a little Vitamin D, and almost every meal cooked outside…by Jerod. 🙂 Anyone else have a person in their life that just rocks at the grill? Jerod’s that guy for me. He can cook a perfect steak, his burgers are super juicy but don’t fall apart on the grill racks, he can cook multiple things at different levels and knows just when to pull them. Me? If I’m being honest, I can’t even accurately pre-heat the grill. What do you mean medium high heat? Are we going to call 400 degrees medium?! That sounds Hell level to me. 🤷‍♂️

So with the warmer temps, I’m handing over the reins and taking more of a sous chef approach to dinnertime. I’ll create my favorites, you do the cooking.

I’ll never take away from how good Jerod’s regular burgers are. A mix of seasonings, BBQ sauce, and beef, and you’ve got yourself an amazing burger every. single. time. I’ll share his recipe and all his secrets to a perfect burger sometime soon, I promise.

But for today, I’m sharing a fresher take on a burger recipe. One that screams warmer temps and lighter fare. A melt in your mouth, drip on your plate, crunch with a burst of flavor kind of burger.

A quick balsamic glaze, fresh mozzarella and thick tomato slices make this burger recipe one to keep making all season long!

Ingredients

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Kosher Salt

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup minced onion

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1/4 cup flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Fresh basil leaves

Mozzarella cheese, sliced

Hamburger buns of your choice (I used onion for this recipe)

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

Heat grill to medium-high heat and allow to fully preheat while creating the burgers.

Pour 1 cup balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Allow to boil, stirring regularly, until the balsamic has reduced to about half. Pour in sugar and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir until you see the sugar dissolve. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until sauce begins to thicken, stirring regularly. Remove from heat. Balsamic glaze will continue to thicken as it sits.

In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, onion, parsley, flour, egg, kosher salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. Form into four equal sized hamburger patties.

When the grill is preheated to medium-high heat, place the patties on the grill and allow to cook undisturbed for five minutes. The burger will form a nice sear. Flip the burgers and cook an additional four minutes on the other side. At the end of the four minutes, baste each burger with your balsamic glaze and cover with a thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Continue to cook until cheese has full melted.

Remove burgers when the juices run clear, or to your preferred doneness.

Melt butter and brush hamburger buns. Place on grill for a few minutes to get a nice toasting.

To assemble burgers, top each toasted bun with your patty, add fresh basil leaves and sliced tomatoes, and finally, drizzle with additional balsamic glaze. Enjoy!

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