This burger is one that was inspired by my mother’s bracciole.  Bracciole are little rolls of thinly pounded meat around some sort of stuffing–I’ll make them for you sometime.  My mothers’ consisted of beef, wrapped around a filling of minced bacon, garlic and parsley.  It was such a brilliant combination, that I decided to re-package it into a burger (what’s better than a burger?)

Instead of bacon, I’m using pancetta.  Instead of the raw garlic my mother used, I’m sauteing the garlic to a light golden color, to remove that acrid rawness.  With plenty of chopped parsley, salt and pepper, this is the perfect addition to ground sirloin.

These burgers are so full of flavor and juiciness, they require nothing other than a great bun and maybe some lettuce and tomato.  The grilling time depends on the size you make them.  I like to start with  6 to 8-ounce burgers and grill them on high heat on my gas grill.  They are instantly engulfed in flames when they hit the grill, but as long as you don’t mind charred on the outside/pink on the inside–you’ll love the char-broiled flavor of the beef, combined with the porkiness of the pancetta. 

Italian-Ate Burgers

makes 4 burgers

2 lbs ground sirloin

1/4 lb pancetta, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 tbl olive oil

1/4 c chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 egg yolks

In a small skillet on low heat, saute garlic in oil until it turns golden–about 5 minutes.  Let cool.  Combine garlic, pancetta and parsley in a chopper/grinder and process until a smooth paste forms.

Preheat gas or charcoal grill on high. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, egg yolks, garlic paste, salt and pepper, and form into 4 large patties. Set aside until grill is heated.

Grill patties for approximately 3 – 4 minutes per side (depending on the strength of your grill.  Let rest on plate covered with aluminum foil for about  5 minutes.