Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Whoa, where the heck did May go?

Anyone else with me on that?

It was like…Happy May Day…Happy Memorial Day and a blur of events in between and now it's June already!

Guess that means that life is good! I can't complain, just hope I can soak in all of these amazing memories being made so they can be cherish for years to come!

Thankfully, throughout the month the grill has been one of our favorite sources of meals, including last weekends' Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers.  

Anything with pineapple reminds me of Hawaii…and I'm always looking for any excuse I can to reminisce about Hawaii.  This may not be the last you hear about Hawaii…just sayin'.

These delicious burgers started with a home made teriyaki sauce being added one ingredient at a time straight into the 2 1/4 lb lean ground beef. 

One tablespoon minced garlic and two tablespoons brown sugar were added just before 1/2 inch of fresh ginger was grated into the mix. (Seems comical for an ingredient to be measured in length, but in this case, it's totally legit.)

I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer to maintain freshness, then it is also a great texture for grating.  Here is Alayna taking charge of the grating and she was serious about it!

Then, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar and 1 tsp sesame oil, being added above, topped it all off to round out the flavors.

In case you have yet to try it, engaging your kids in the cooking process might actually help them expand their taste buds.  When asked to help, Alayna was not excited about either the ginger or the sesame oil, but once she tasted them in the burger, she was totally sold.  

Just dive right in with bare hands to mix and combine all of the ingredients together before making into patties.

This was more than enough for dinner, but with my family, there is never any harm in making a few extra so that they can be gobbled down any time these growing, active kids need an extra (large) snack.

The burgers were grilled, starting with about 5 minutes on each side and adjust according to the thermometer.  Especially with a recipe like this, the thermometer is highly recommended because some of the flavorings give off reddish juices and you certainly don't want to overcook these babies.

The juicier the better!  

While the burgers were grilling, they were joined by one of my favorite grilled fruits…pineapple! The way that the grill caramelizes the natural sugar of pineapple is out of this world!  

If grilled pineapple isn't part of the main dish, some thinly sliced spears with cinnamon sugar will more than suffice for a fabulous summer dessert.

The Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers were placed upon a nice big leaf of lettuce and topped with thin sliced Munster cheese, bacon, which will never lead you astray, and grilled pineapple.  

I dare you to give this little slice of Hawaiian deliciousness a try!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 inch of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil

2 1/4 lb lean ground beef

Leaf lettuce
Munster cheese
Bacon
Grilled pineapple

Add the teriyaki ingredients (first 6) directly into ground beef. 

Mix well to combine. 

Form into patties, grill to desired doneness.  

Grill pineapple while burgers are cooking.  

Top with lettuce, cheese, bacon and grilled pineapple.  

I can't wait to make them again!