Hawaiian Burgers

This is hands-down one of the most delicious burgers I have ever, ever, ever eaten. It is a loose interpretation of what an official Hawaiian burger would look like if there was such a thing as an official Hawaiian burger, and I don’t know if there is or not, because how in the world would I ever find something like that out? I suppose I could Google “Official Hawaiian Burger” and spend the rest of the day researching it and determining the authentic elements of what one would involve…

(But I think I’d rather just eat this one instead.)

Here’s how to make it!
First, stir together the sauce ingredients: Mayo, teriyaki sauce, honey, and a little cayenne for heat.

Oh, this sauce. It is so incomparably scrumptious, but was it ever a journey to get here. My first attempt at a sauce for this burger involved—get ready—orange marmalade, and it turned out to be one of the most unpalatable (read: grody!) things I’d ever prepared in my natural born life. So if you ever have the bright idea of attempting to mix mayo, soy sauce, and orange marmalade together—which, of course, you won’t since you’re a logical person—run, run, RUN from the kitchen!

On a grill pan, quickly grill the pineapple slices and bell pepper rings until they have nice grill marks on both sides. Remove them and put them on a plate.

Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and form it into 4 equal-sized patties. Cook them on the grill pan or in a skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, then flip them over…

And add a splash of teriyaki sauce on top of each one. Let it sink in a second…

Then place a slice of provolone on top and let it melt while the burger cooks through, 4 minutes or so more, until it’s no longer pink in the middle.

Butter a griddle or separate skillet and grill th ebuns over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon a little bit of the sauce on the cut side of the buns and allow it to slightly soak into the bread. This stuff is…MAGICAL!
Place the patties on the bottom buns and top each one with a couple of pineapple slices…

Some thinly sliced red onion…
The bell pepper and some green leaf lettuce.

This is a huge, beautiful burger and calls for a steak knife…

And, most certainly, a dish of extra sauce on the side, which will be gone by the time you finish the burger. Irresistible! Try this once. I know you’ll be hooked.