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½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Oil for coating grill grate

6 hamburger buns, split

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GETTING CREATIVE

• Top as you would a meatloaf, with a spicy tomato sauce or sautéed mushrooms.

TIP

• Like meatloaf, these burgers make better leftovers than your average burger.

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DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed.

2. Using your hands, mix the meatloaf mix, onion, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well blended; do not overmix. Using a light touch, form into 6 patties no more than 1 inch thick. Refrigerate the burgers until the grill is ready.

3. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the burgers on the grill, cover, and cook for 7 minutes, flipping after about 4 minutes, for medium-done (150°F, slightly pink). Add a minute per side for well-done (160°F).

4. To toast the buns, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking.

5. If serving the burgers directly from the grill, serve on the buns. If the burgers will sit, even for a few minutes, keep the buns and burgers separate until just before eating.

Grilled Apple–Sauerkraut Pork Burgers

The sweet, mild flavor of pork and the pungent salinity of sauerkraut are a classic combo. This simple pork burger, made richer with the addition of beef, mustard, and applesauce, is crowned with an elaborate sweet-sour-salty pickled cabbage prepared by simmering sauerkraut, apple, caraway, and bourbon until the flavors marry.

TIMING

Prep: 5 minutes

Grill: 7 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Clean grill screen

• Long-handled spatula

GETTING CREATIVE

• These burgers are too loaded to pick up. So in lieu of a roll, we suggest serving them with your choice of potatoes: mashed, hashed, baked, or scalloped (you can’t go wrong).

THE GRILL

Gas:

Direct heat, medium-high (425° to 450°F)

Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)

Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting

Wood:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch bed, 3 to 4 inches deep

Clean, oiled grate set 2 inches above the fire

INGREDIENTS (MAKES SER VING 6)

1 large, crisp apple such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon canola oil or other flavorless oil

1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon

½ teaspoon caraway seed

2 cups (about 10 ounces) refrigerated sauerkraut, drained and finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1½ pounds ground pork

8 ounces ground beef chuck, 85% lean

1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Oil for coating grill grate

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed. Put the grill screen on the grill to get hot.

2. Coat the apple wedges with the 1 tablespoon oil, and grill them on the screen until browned on all 3 sides and tender, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the apple and screen. Chop the apple coarsely.

3. Combine the brown sugar, bourbon, caraway seed, and sauerkraut in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Add the chopped apple and butter and stir until the butter melts; keep warm.

4. Using your hands, mix the pork, beef, mustard, thyme, apple-sauce, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well blended; do not overmix. Using a light touch, form into 6 patties no more than 1 inch thick.

5. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the burgers on the grill, cover, and cook for 7 minutes, flipping after about 4 minutes, for medium-done (150°F, slightly pink). Add a minute per side for well-done (160°F).

6. Serve the burgers topped with some of the sauerkraut mixture.

Miso Tuna Burgers

Raw tuna is one of the few fish that is both sturdy and fatty enough to form into a burger without the addition of binders and starches. The only requirement is that you chop the tuna finely enough so that the pieces adhere to one another, but not so finely so that the mixture becomes mushy. For that reason it is not a good idea