Let the Sauciness Begin!

I love a challenge so when I saw a contest featuring some of my favorite products I decided to give it a try! After all, what do I have to lose, they supply the products and all I have to do is create a recipe. Easy enough.

But first….. I needed to choose which products I would use to create my masterpiece.

Not an easy task since

1) There are lots of products

   

2) They all work great simply by themselves.

I decided my task was to take a recipe I make and use Saucy Mama products to make it even better……..So, now I had to chose six products to work with and as you can see from their website is not an easy task.

http://barhyte.com/

My first choice was my All Time Favorite Saucy Mama product

Sweet Heat Marinade-It is simply what it says but more-it has just the right amount of balance to keep it really versatile and it can be used as a marinade or as a sauce or as just about anything you can think of.

 

Next I chose-

All Natural Four Leaf Balsamic Dressing which also offers a sweet-tart vinegar base that works well alone or as an addition to a slaw or salad.

My next choice was-

All Natural Poppy Seed Dressing again a sweet-tart balance leaning more to the sweet with a really nice balance of flavors.

Next was another favorite of mine-

Poblano Ranch Dressing which is a subtle, slightly spicy dressing that can be used on just about anything including a salad or as a dip or just eaten right out of the bottle…….just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

 

Then I chose-

All Natural Zesty Cocktail Sauce-a perfect sauce for seafood with just the right amount of zip to keep you interested.

Finally I chose-

Honey Barbeque Wing Sauce-I guess you kind of see the theme here with me. I love those sweet-heat flavors and that’s what is going on here with a little smoke.

Now, onto the recipe! The choices for the recipe were burger or bacon, both categories at “The World Food Championships” Did I mention that was the whole reason I entered the contest was to win the opportunity to compete for lots of money, cooking at the competition in November. Well, it’s a pretty big deal and I really want to go so I decided to make a burger since bacon was just too overwhelming…...so I created an Uptown Cheesesteak Burger. It’s like a philly cheesesteak sandwich, with onions and peppers and cheese but I decided to use one of my favorite recipes for bacon jam and use Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade in it to give it a nice spice and I also used Saucy Mama Horseradish in the Boursin butter as well as using Saucy Mama Four Leaf Balsamic Dressing in the onions and peppers. The burger turned out delicious and I wanted to share my recipe with you as well as let you know where you can go to try some of their products. They can be ordered and shipping is quite reasonable so have a look for yourself.  

http://barhyte.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SaucyMama

https://www.instagram.com/saucymamacafe/

I will also be sponsoring a giveaway for three of their products. All you have to do is leave a message here or on my Facebook page to be enter. Drawing will be held on June 21st so be sure to enter and let me know if you have any questions.

 Uptown Cheesesteak Burger

1 lb ground sirloin

2 tablespoons grated sweet onion

1 teaspoon Montreal Steak seasoning

4 Kaiser Rolls, hamburger buns or rolls of your choice

Bacon Jam

12 oz. bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

½ cup sweet onion, diced

2 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup strong brewed coffee

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons bourbon

Boursin Butter

4 oz Garlic and Herb Boursin cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon finely diced green onion  

1 teaspoon Saucy Mama Creamy Horseradish

Grilled Onions and Peppers

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium bell peppers. finely sliced

1 medium sweet onion, finely sliced

2 tablespoons Saucy Mama Four Leaf Balsamic Dressing

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

Burger

Combine sirloin, grated onion and steak seasoning. Form mixture into 4-¼ pound patties. ( Patties should be about ¾ inch thick. For larger burgers, form mixture into 3-⅓ pound patties) refrigerate until ready to cook but allow burgers to stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes prior to cooking.

To grill burgers: Brush grill with vegetable oil. Cook burgers for 3 minutes on one side and then flip burger and cook for an additional 5 minutes on the other side (medium)  

To cook burgers on the stove: In a large skillet, over medium heat add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease. Cook burgers for a total of 8 minutes (medium)or until desired doneness.     

Bacon Jam

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crispy. Remove bacon* from skillet but reserve grease allowing 2 tablespoons to remain in skillet. (Save remaining bacon grease for later use) Cook onion over medium heat until tender. Add garlic. And cook one minute longer. Add vinegar to deglaze pan. Add remaining ingredients, including bacon and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced and mixture has a syrupy consistency. (It will take about 15-20 minutes.) The jam will thicken as it cools.

*if bacon is too chunky, crumble bacon into smaller pieces or place bacon in a small food processor and process until pieces are smaller. I like chunky jam so I just leave the bacon in larger chunks. This recipe makes 1½ cups of jam.

Boursin Butter

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before using.

Onions and Peppers

In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute onions and peppers in olive oil and butter until peppers are tender and onions are starting to brown.(about 10 minutes) Add Saucy Mama Four Leaf Balsamic Dressing and cook 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.

To assemble burgers: Place a generous amount of bacon jam on the cut side of the bottom bun. Slather boursin butter on the cut side of the top bun. Place the cooked burger on top of the bacon jam and place a hearty helping of onions and peppers on top. Place the top bun, butter side down onto the burger and secure with a toothpick, if necessary. Now that’s a Saucy burger! Enjoy! Makes 3 or 4 burgers, dependent on size.

Notes: The bacon jam can be made ahead of time and will keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer. I like to heat the jam in the microwave for about 20 seconds before using it on a burger if it has been refrigerated. The boursin butter can be made 3-4 days ahead of time and refrigerated. It should be brought to room temperature before using.