chuckwagon burger with peach bbq sauce

come for burger, stay for the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce

Tips

homemade barbecue sauce

Making your own barbecue sauce is simple, the base consists of ketchup, brown sugar, and some sort of vinigear. From there you can season and spice it anyway you’d like. For this barbecue sauce, I went with a sweet and spicy flavor, using dried chipotles and plums. Stone fruits like peaches, plums and nectorines are go very nicely with barbecue sauce, so feel free to use any of those when making it.

make the ultimate burger

You can’t have a burger withouth topings. I like to add cheese, and bacon for a mouth full of flavor. Get personalized and add your own toppings, or just eat with caramelized onions and sauce.

chuckwagon burger

Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 60 – 90 minutes | Serving size: 4-8 burgers (4 double patty, 8 single patty burgers)

Gather

barbecue sauce

• Approximately 30 – 50 grams dried chipotle chiles (about 8 – 14 thumb-sized pieces); the more you add the spicier and smoker the sauce.
• Approximately 460 grams plums,  pitted, skinned and cut in half (about 4 small plums) should increase plums. 
• Approximately 400 grams onions (4 medium-sized onions), peeled, cut in half and ends cut off. 
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled left whole, butts cut off 
• 2 cups  ( approximately 500g) ketchup
• ½ cup black coffee (can be old leftover coffee) 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• ⅓ cup brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon red cayenne 
• 1 teaspoon of oregano 
• 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder 
• 1 ½ tablespoon mustard powder 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt optional

beef burger

• 1.5 pounds ground beef 80/20, ground bacon burger (or regular beef), divided into 8 even balls about 3oz each 
• 2 teaspoons  onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• salt and pepper

caramelized onions

• 3 medium onions cut into strips. 
• 1 tablespoon of  olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Follow

barbecue sauce

1. In a large stockpot place plums, chipotle, garlic, and onions. Add enough water to cover everything. Bring to a boil over high heat, and let boil for 20 minutes. 
2. Scoop contents into a blender with a slotted spoon. Reserve steeping liquid in larger measuring cup and set aside.  Add 1 cup of reserved liquid to blender. Blend for 30 seconds, until smoothie like consistency. 
3. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer back into the stock pot. Remove pulp from strainer occasionally.
4. Add ketchup and, black coffee, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, black pepper, and an additional ½ cup of boiling liquid. 
5. Whisk together and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally.  
6. Cook for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Taste the barbecue sauce! Add salt or pepper if desired. If your sauce begins to thicken too much before time is done, add ½ cup of reserved liquid. 
7. Let cool, place in a sealed container like a mason jar to store 

beef burger

1. Section beef into 8 balls ( approximately 3 ounces /90 grams each)  and place in the fridge until ready to use. Chilled beef helps get a nice sear. 
2. Heat skillet to medium or medium-high heat. 
3. While heating, mix onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. 
4. Place an even number of balls on the griddle, grill, or skillet. Remember to space them accordingly as you will smash them down. 
5. Get a piece of parchment, place it on top of beef ball, and smash directly down, creating a patty. You can use a wide spatula, a plate, or another smaller skillet. 
6. Sear 2 minutes on each side for pink, 3 to 4 minutes for no pink. Work in batches until the desired amount of patties are made.

carmalized onions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and butter together. Add onions and stir. 
2. Let onions cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The trick to caramelized onions is to let them brown without moving them around too much, but enough so they won’t burn. Depending on your skillet and stove, you may need to turn down the heat to a medium-low setting to prevent burning.