TRAVEL TUESDAY - BACON CHEESEBURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE KETCHUP - OZONE, ARKANSAS

A couple of weekends ago, when the leaves were at their peak, we took a lovely family drive through the stunning, colorful countryside - destination - Ozone, Arkansas.
A friend told me about a little burger place, that served the most amazing food. It was so fabulous that she planned to take out of town guests there, therefore, I made it my goal to experience the Burger Barn for myself. When someone tells me about a great place for food, I am always intrigued and always try to check it out - I'm the same way with a good book.
I talked about it so much for so long, that my husband finally agreed to visit the Burger Barn, so we made it our Sunday drive destination. Although we were the only customers when we arrived there, there was soon a long line behind us, and the restaurant eventually turned people away. They had quite an extensive menu, there was outside seating, and fun activities set up around the property for the kids to do, and although the man taking the orders was a little grumpy, it added to the atmosphere and his burgers were quite gratifying.

The Burger Barn cheeseburger

The adorable Burger Barn

BACON CHEESEBURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE KETCHUP

16 slices of bacon
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
salt and pepper
4 slices of sharp cheddar
4 slices of pepper jack
4 burger rolls, split and toasted
lettuce leaves and jalapenos for serving
chipotle ketchup (recipe below)

Heat the oven to 400F. Place the bacon on a broiler pan, bake until crisp, about 15 minutes.
Chop 8 slices of bacon, set aside.
Drizzle a pan with olive oil, add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, combine the beef, chopped bacon, onion mixture, paprika, cumin, coriander and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties (I actually made 6).
Add to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes. Add one slice of each cheese on top during the last minute of two of cooking (or place on the rolls while they are toasting).
Layer each roll bottom with a burger, 2 bacon slices, lettuce, jalapenos, chipotle ketchup and a roll top.

CHIPOTLE KETCHUP
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used balsamic)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/‎

ASIAN BAHN MI BURGERS and CUBAN SANDWICHES WITH ZUCCHINI PICKLES

Celebrate your favorite team with fabulous international flavors. Both of these pork sandwiches are casual and can be made for a crowd, or a smaller more intimate group.
Whether those you are supporting win or lose, you will feel successful and satisfied with either the Bahn Mi or Cuban.

ASIAN BAHN MI BURGERS

1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 pound of ground pork
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon siracha, or to taste
French baguette, split, toasted and cut into size of your choice
butter lettuce
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
3/4 cup shredded carrots

Mix fish sauce, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, lime zest and juice, and green onions until combined. Add pork and chopped cilantro and gently mix to combine.
Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions (or however many you need) and loosely form them into 1 inch patties. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until oil begins to shimmer.
Cook burgers 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.
Mix the mayonnaise and siracha sauce, and spread the spicy mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns. Top the buns with lettuce, a burger, cucumber and carrots.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Redbook Magazine
www.redbookmag.com/recipefinder/‎

CUBAN SANDWICHES WITH ZUCCHINI PICKLES

PORK
3 quarts water
1 1/2 cups apple juice
3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup sugar
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally
2 bay leaves
2 whole star anise
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 teaspoon whole allspice
2 large oranges, halved
1 2-1/4 pound boneless pork loin
AIOLI
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
SANDWICHES
10 ciabatta rolls, halved horizontally
2 pounds thinly sliced ham
zucchini pickles (recipe follows)
1 pound Emmenthal cheese, cut into slices

PORK
Place first 12 ingredients in a heavy, large pot. Squeeze juice from orange halves into pot, then add orange halves. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Reduce heat to medium and simmer brine 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Cool, then cover and refrigerate brine overnight.
Add the pork to the brine, marinate in refrigerator two days, occasionally turning pork.
AOLI
Whisk mayonnaise and oil in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk in all remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
SANDWICHES
Heat oven to 350F.
Place rack in roasting pan. Remove pork from brine, place in prepared pan. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145F, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Slice thinly.

Heat broiler. Spread 1 rounded tablespoonful of aioli on cut side of each ciabatta roll half. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the ham just until heated through and beginning to brown, turning occasionally, about 1 minute.
Place roll bottoms on large rimmed baking sheet. Divide ham among roll bottoms. Working in batches, fry sliced pork until heated through and just beginning to brown. Divide among sandwiches. Arrange 1/4 cup zucchini pickles over pork on each sandwich. Top each sandwich with cheese, dividing equally. Broil sandwiches until cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover each with roll top and serve.

ZUCCHINI PICKLES
2 1/2 pounds zucchini, trimmed, cut crosswise into thin slices
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 cups champagne vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 2 inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

Toss the zucchini, onion and salt in a large colander. Place in sink and let drain 2 hours. Rinse vegetables, drain. Transfer to kitchen towels. Gently squeeze vegetables to dry. Place in an 8-cup glass bowl.
Bring vinegar and all remaining ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Pour vinegar mixture over zucchini mixture, pressing on vegetables to submerge. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill overnight.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2009
www.bonappetit.com/recipes‎