A Juicy Justin Pitts Burger Paired with El Gandor Malbec

We are hooked on the grass feed meat and pork products we purchase from the colorful Mr. Justin Pitts at the Crescent City Farmers Market. So how does Justin's ground beef differ from that you buy at Whole foods or another grocer? The first thing you notice is the color, it is a deep rich red and it has a completely different texture. Also, because of the leanness of the meat it cooks incredibly fast, so cut your cooking time down to at least half of what you would normally grill a burger. And the flavor is out of this world!

This is the way we prepare them at home and my mouth waters every time I even think about eating one of these burgers. I'm pairing it with one of my favorite grilling wines, Argentinian Malbec. Our friend Matt Lirette just started his own wholesale wine distributorship and this is one of the little gems we have purchased from him. The El Ganador Malbec is simply an amazing, value priced wine that is perfect with grilled food or simply sipping in the backyard as you watch someone else do the work! Click here for my post on the wine: El Ganador Malbec.

Preparing the grill: Ok, I think you've figured out by now that we are pretty picky about food preparation so you shouldn't be surprised that we don't use a gas grill. The flavors and aromas imparted by real wood charcoal (available at Wholefoods and most grocers) are irreplaceable and we wouldn't even think of using toxic lighter fluid. We use an eco-friendly chimney starter to get the coals going and a cheap charcoal grill I bought at Home Depot years ago for about $50. Never used a chimney starter? Here's a great little you-tube video to show you how: charcoal chimney starter.

Makes 6 of the most delicious burgers ever!

Ingredients:
-2lbs. Justin Pitts ground beef
-salt and pepper
-pinch of pepperoncino (red pepper flakes)
-6 "Food for Life" brand, sprouted grain English muffins
-1 cup grated Australian Aged Cheddar Cheese
-2 large Heirloom tomatoes, sliced and seasoned w/salt and pepper
-organic baby romaine lettuce
-2 red onions sliced thickly
-olive oil
-condiments options; organic mayonnaise, pesto, ketchup, mustard

Directions
-Pour yourself a glass of the El Ganador Malbec and prepare your charcoal chimney.
-While coals are heating in the chimney, combine beef, salt and pepper with a pinch of pepperoncino and mix with your hands. Shape into 6 good sized patties and set aside.
-Take sliced onions and coat with olive and season with a little salt and pepper.
-Top off your glass of Malbec and go out to the grill.
-Once the coals have been spread into the bottom of the grill and the grate is hot, put on the onions. As the onions begin to get tender, add the beef patties. Be very careful with your grill time. We like our burgers rare and cook them for only a minute to a minute and a half per side. Add the cheese when you flip them.
-As the burgers reach the desired wellness, move them to the side of the grill. Spread a bit of olive oil on the English muffins and grill quickly until you see the grate marks on the bread.
-Remove onions, burgers and muffins from grill and top with sliced tomatoes, lettuce and your favorite condiments. We're especially fond of a little pesto as a sandwich spread...

-Pour another glass of Malbec, sit out on your patio and enjoy the best burger ever!!