Berbere Burgers with Homemade Sweet Hot Mustard Recipe

Make your own Sweet Hot Mustard to top your grilled burgers this summer. Simple to do, and so delicious! Dry Mustard Powder is a must for some fantastic sauce recipes for grilling. Berbere is a traditional Ethiopian spice that is extremely unusual to our American palate. It is perfect paired with a lovely smoky grill flavor. Be sure to gently toss your hamburger to mix with the spice. Over-working the beef can cause it to be tough. Before grilling, be sure to let your burgers warm to room temp. This helps them stay juicy on the grill.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons

  Dry Mustard Powder

• 1/2 cup

  sugar

• 2 tablespoons

  flour

• 2 teaspoons

  salt

• 1 cup

  skim milk

• 1

  egg yolk

• 1/2 cup

  vinegar

• 1 pound

  ground beef

• 1/2 teaspoon

  Berbere Spice

• Optional: cheese slices, onions, tomato, etc.

• 4

  hamburger buns

Directions

For the mustard: Add all of the ingredients to a large, cold saucepan. Stir with a whisk constantly over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring until thick and bubbly. Pour into a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to three weeks.

For the burgers: Gently break apart the hamburger with your fingers. Sprinkle the spices over the meat and toss to combine.

Divide into four portions, and lightly press into patties. Use your thumbs to press and indention into the center of the burger. This helps the burgers cook evenly, and stops them from puffing up in the center as they cook. You can do this up to 2 days in advance with fresh beef.

Let your burgers come down to room temp before grilling.

Heat* your grill to 350-degrees. Lightly grease your grates so the burgers will not stick to them. Place the burgers on the hot grill. Close the lid and cook each side of the burgers for 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Resist the urge to press the burgers down with a spatula, this presses out precious juices!

Once your desired temp is reached, remove the burgers from the grill and top them with your desired cheese. Cover them and let them sit undisturbed for five minutes while the juices redistribute.

Place them on buns and top as desired. Enjoy!

*I encourage you to use charcoal and not gas to heat your grill. Try a chimney starter, usually available in your grocer’s grilling section. It is very simple to use, even for a grilling beginner. Simply pack the bottom with newspaper (or computer paper!), drip a bit of vegetable oil over it. Turn it over so the paper is in the bottom, load the top with charcoal, and light the paper on fire. The fire naturally goes up to light the charcoal, and it is white within minutes.