First off, I wanted to thank every one of you for all the wonderful birthday wishes. I had a great (and tiring) weekend, filled with too much food and staying up way past my bedtime. Weekends are always much too short, especially birthday weekends when friends like Becky come to visit. But definitely had plenty of fun to make up for not going to the Beale St Music Fest for the first time since I moved here 5 years ago (cannot believe it’s been that long).

But on to this burger. Many burgers I have encountered that include pineapple, merely have it as a layer in the toppings. But this burger is special – it is stuffed with an entire ring of fresh pineapple. There is even a sweet and tangy sauce to top it off.

That bun is purely for decoration only. Sure it’s real but I didn’t touch the thing. I grew up without eating these burgers on a bun because, well, the recipe never says anything about a bun! And honestly, I love this burger without any silly bun. But I included it anyway because a burger patty sitting on a plate by itself isn’t very photogenic.

Random question, do you spell it ketchup or catsup? Cause my mom totally spelled it catsup on the written recipe card I have and I never knew she and I spelled it differently then me.

PINEAPPLE BURGERS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried cilantro

4 pineapple rings

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp mustard

4 buns and favorite burger toppings, if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat your broiler to 500 degrees and place rack 6 inches away from broiler unit. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with non-stick stray, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, garlic and cilantro. Form into 8 thin patties (slightly bigger than the pineapple rings). Place a ring on 4 of the patties and top with remaining 4, seal edges.
3. Place burgers on prepared baking sheet, and broil for 5 minutes on each side.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, ketchup and mustard. Pour over cooked burgers and serve with chips.

Source: Adapted slightly from my Mom.