Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger starts with a thick, grilled patty of seasoned Certified Angus Beef and ground chorizo. The burger is topped “cowboy style”, with cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, sweet caramelized onions, and pickled jalapenos.
Pssst! My girl Kita – Girl Carnivore is hosting #BurgerMonth for the entire month of May. She’s challenged dozens of bloggers to create epic and over-the-top delicious burgers. We’ve answered the call with dozens of mouthwatering burger choices, in solidarity for #BurgerMonth. Keep reading for a chance to enter to win some seriously huge and awesome prizes.
Back when Bacon Slayer and I were first married, we lived in a quaint little neighborhood, situated within spitting distance from the City. No, really! The alley behind our house was the City. We could’ve spit the distance and hit it, although we never did, being polite neighbors and all. Ours was one of a smattering of single family homes, scattered among rows of duplexes and four flat apartments.
The working class neighborhood bordered a wealthy suburb, and was nicknamed “The Cabbage Patch”, back when Victory Gardens were prevalent. Large populations of Irish and Belgian immigrants settled in the area due to the proximity to factory work at the automotive plants downtown. Local legend has it that on any given day, the aroma of cooking cabbage wafted through open windows of nearly every home, thus the Cabbage Patch name was born. Interestingly enough, the street names weren’t Irish or Belgian in origin, but rather primarily named after the British countryside. The names of the cross streets were French, although you’d never know it to hear the locals pronounce them.
Our home was situated on a block between cross streets, dense with local businesses. We were attracted to the neighborhood due to the slightly Old World turned urban hipster vibe. After grueling commutes on major freeways, we appreciated being able park our vehicles on the street and walk to just about any type of business establishment that we would ever need to frequent.
The hardware store specialized in hard-to-find items for our older homes that weren’t readily available at the big box stores. The Barber was seemingly 100 years old, and he knew every male in town by name. The coffee shop baked their treats from scratch each morning, and they would set a few of your favorites aside in anticipation of your arrival. The specialty markets would order any item that you desired, and then be sure to keep it in stock for when your supply needed replenishing. We most enjoyed walking to any of a dozen local restaurants for dinner.
The Sunrise Sunset Saloon was our favorite hole-in-the-wall establishment. Situated amid a strip of sports bars, The Sunrise differentiated itself with it’s kitschy, old-time saloon theme, complete with cowboy boot shaped beverage glasses. While the decor was decidedly western, the jukebox music selections were varied and eclectic, with rarely a country song in the mix, save one–Sweet Home Alabama–which was often played near closing time.
The Sunrise was a casual place, boasting some of the best “bar food” in the area. They were best known for two things, as least to us: fried perch, and the Tumbleweed Burger. The Tumbleweed Burger at The Sunrise was a simple all-beef patty, lovingly topped with cheese and caramelized onions. I liked to order it “Cowboy Style”, which added bacon and loads of pickles. Lettuce and tomato were never really an option, although I often wished they were.
We spent many a Friday night at The Sunrise, munching on burgers, and playing an eclectic mix of music on the jukebox. It was the place to unwind from a stressful work week, and we were regulars until Son #1 was born. The once quaint, off-street parking suddenly lost it’s appeal with a baby in tow. Often, we had to walk several blocks home in the dark, simultaneously juggling an infant car seat, baby gear, and groceries. Our time in The Cabbage Patch had come to a close, however to this day, we are most nostalgic about our first little house in that cute neighborhood near The Sunrise Sunset Saloon.
Sadly, The Sunrise Sunset Saloon suffered a total loss in a fire last year, during their 25th year of operation.
My Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger is inspired by Angie and the friendly folks of The Sunrise Sunset Saloon.
The Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger is big, and made for big appetites! Piled high with all the fixings, the Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger measures in at over 5-inches tall. Unfortunately, the burger refuses to stand tall and pose with all the toppings in place for more than a minute.
No worries about fitting this massive burger into your mouth, my friends. Simply squash that sucker down, hold on tight, and open wide for a tremendous burger experience.
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6
Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger is a thick grilled patty of seasoned Certified Angus Beef and chorizo, topped "cowboy style" with melted cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, sweet caramelized onions, tangy slices of pickled jalapeno peppers, and all of the fixings.
35 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 4 oz. ground Chorizo spiced sausage
- 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 2 C. very thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
- 1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbs. water
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 3 large leaves romaine lettuce, rinsed and cut in half widthwise
- 6 slices crisp cooked bacon, broken in half
- 6 thin slices Cheddar Jack cheese
- 6 Tbs. pickled jalapenos, to taste
- 6 sturdy hamburger buns, store bought or homemade
Instructions
- Knead the ground beef, Chorizo, and Montreal Steak Seasoning together in a large bowl until blended. Divide the mixture evenly into 6 large portions. Squeeze the balls to tightly to compress the meat, and them slap them back and forth between both hands while compressing into thick patties. Wrap the hamburger patties on a plate and refrigerate while preparing the other toppings.
- To caramelize the onions, Place a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, allowing pan time to warm. Add the butter, water, onions, salt and pepper to the warm skillet; stir until butter melts.
- Continue to cook the onions over medium-low heat, stirring periodically, until onions are deep golden brown, and very tender; between 20 to 25 minutes in total. Transfer the caramelized onions to a serving bowl and tent with foil while grilling the burgers.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high (350-400 degrees F) heat. (If using a charcoal grill, get the coals started before caramelizing the onions.) Grill the hamburgers for 2 minutes per side to sear them, and then continue grilling for about 3-5 more minutes or until cooked to through.
- Turn off the heat and remove the burgers from the grill, and let the meat rest for 3 minutes.
- While the meat is resting, toast the inside of the burger buns on the rack of the warm grill. Once the buns are toasted, begin building the burgers.
- Begin building the burgers from the bottom by placing a burger on the bottom half of one of the burger buns. Add a slice of cheddar jack cheese, two halves of a slice of crisp bacon, a piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, a healthy layer of caramelized onions, a tablespoon or so of pickled jalapenos peppers(to taste), and finally the top bun.
- Repeat with the remaining burgers and toppings to serve six friends with cowboy sized appetites.
Notes
Cowboy Tumbleweed Burgers are huge! The meat can easily be portioned into 8 smaller patties before grilling. Adjust cooking time accordingly for smaller burgers.
Enter to win a #BurgerMonth prize pack filled with great swag from:
- Swissmar Glow 7PC Fondue Set
- American Lamb – 5 lbs. ground lamb + grilling kit
- Cabot Cheese gift box (A free box o’ cheese, y’all!)
- Certified Angus Beef Grilling Toolkit + $50 Visa Gift Card
- A Charbroil Grill (Nice!)
- Cowboy Charcoal Grilling Kit + BBQ Samplers
- Cuttingboard.com cutting board (Gorgeous!)
- GrillMasters Club Box (More than a dozen sauces & spice rubs!)
Where this epic Cowboy Tumbleweed Burger creation is my own for #BurgerMonth 2016, I would love to thank American Lamb Board, Char-broil, Cowboy Charcoal, Swissmar, Cabot Cheese, Grill Master Club, Certified Angus Beef, and CuttingBoard.com for the kick-butt grill prize packages! This is not a sponsored post.
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