The Bend Burger

By: Kayla & Justin Butts  Photos by: Rachel Benavides

To build the perfect burger you must begin with thebrmeat—in this case, with pork and beef. On our farm,brwe have experimented with hundreds of burgers usingbrdifferent combinations of grass-fed beef and pasturedbrpork. Our favorite mix is a one-to-one ratio of groundbrbeef to ground pork. The richness of flavor in pasturedbrpork balances perfectly with the lean wholesomenessbrof grass-fed beef. And this protein is not a guiltybrpleasure, but a healthy part of a good diet.br

br

Deglazing the pan with red wine after the burger cooksbris the secret to this recipe. The best part of a burger is the browned bits left in the pan, and the red winebrreduction intensifies this flavor into a beautiful glazebrthat adds a robust kick.br

br

Making your own homemade pickles is like addingbryour personal signature to your burger. These sweetbrand spicy pickles add a spark of tanginess that can’tbrbe duplicated with store-bought varieties. And yourbrhomemade pickles taste better the longer they rest inbrthe refrigerator.br

br

Tomatoes are now ripening and turning red on thebrvine. Look for good Roma tomatoes whose texturebrand flavor will hold up to this hearty burger. There isbrno lettuce in this recipe because lettuce is now out ofbrseason.br

br

Top your burger with 10/15 sweet onions from yourbrgarden or a local farm. This onion variety is namedbr10/15 because they were planted around Octoberbr15th and have spent the last six months developingbrsweetness in the soil. You can sauté your onions inbrhomemade butter to increase their sweetness, or servebrthem fresh to keep a little of their bite.br

br

Aioli is homemade mayonnaise that is fast and easybrto make. To prepare avocado aioli, simply combinebryour ripe avocados, garlic, and farm fresh eggs in thebrfood processor and blend for one minute. The zestybrflavor of the aioli is more than worth the few minutesbrof effort.br

br

This burger deserves a bun substantial enough to holdbrit all together. Kaiser rolls from the supermarket holdbrup well and are especially nice toasted with butter.br

br

We call this “The Bend Burger” because all of the ingredients can be found growing locally in the CoastalbrBend. This dish is simple, healthy, easy to prepare, andbrwill make you fall in love with burgers all over again.br

Now that we have our burger, let the summer begin.

br br br br

br