A southern classic atop a juicy burger.
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A Cheesy Love Affair
I love Minnesota and don't see myself leaving anytime soon, but I must admit we are lacking in one thing...pimento cheese. Every year I'm reminded of this southern classic during The Masters golf tournament and am always disappointed that we Minnesotans don't utilize this fabulous food throughout the remainder of the year. Perhaps the scarcity adds to its allure and it would get old if it made its way into our day to day diets. But maybe not, and this year I think I'm going to make it my mission to work it in more frequently and find out.
Between pimento cheese sandwiches, pimento cheese deviled eggs, pimento cheese veggie bagels, and now a pimento cheeseburger, the pimento cheese game is still strong and every bit as delicious as it was when I was first reintroduced to it back in April. What other delicious uses for pimento cheese do you have? Comment below with your suggestions to help us - we still have 9 months of pimento cheese twists to fill up before we revert back to those classic white bread sandwiches and a weekend of golf.
You're going to just want to make a big batch of this pimento cheese to snack on while you prep your grill, and to have leftovers throughout the week.
The Secret to the Juiciest Burgers
If you look at the ingredients below you may be noticing an odd one - ice cubes. An ice cube in the middle of each burger patty is an easy way to ensure that your burgers don't dry out. As they cook on the grill the ice cube will melt helping to keep the entire burger juicy and delicious.
A couple fresh toppings let the pimento cheese be the star of the show on this pimento cheeseburger.
Ingredients
For the Pimento Cheese
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese - finely shredded
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. chopped chives
4 oz finely chopped pimentos
1/2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
For the Burger
1 lb ground chuck
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. minced onion
2 ice cubes
For Toppings
2 wheat buns - toasted (or gluten free buns to keep it GF)
Thousand Island Dressing
Lettuce
Sliced Tomato
Directions
Fire up your grill. While grill is heating (or ahead of time), combine the ingredients for the pimento cheese in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator until the hour or two before use if making it ahead of time.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all burger ingredients except for the ice cubes. Divide mixture in half and form each half into a patty around an ice cube (it may be more spherical than patty like depending on your ice, but just do your best!). Place patties on hot grill and cook 5-7 minutes per side or until your desired doneness. As the burgers near the end of their cooking time, place a generous dollop of pimento cheese on top, close the grill lid and let melt for another minute or so before removing burgers from grill.
Place pimento topped burgers on toasted buns layered with thousand island dressing, sliced tomatoes and crisp lettuce.
Store unused pimento cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy with crackers, fresh veggies and on other sandwiches!
Serves: 2
Time: 25 minutes