Teriyaki Burgers "Just Like" Red Robin!

By Sinea Pies

Don’t you love a thick, juicy burger when it first comes off the grill? Can’t wait to get your hands on it!  Whether you select a traditional burger with ketchup, mustard and pickles or something more exotic, burgers are the best way to make cooking on a Saturday SIMPLE. 

OK, now, many of you may be looking out the door at 20 inches of snow but “when there is a will there is a way!” (Or, just dream about it till the snow melts and your grill comes out of hiding.) 

You work on Saturday, you know. Sure you do. You clean. You shop. You fix things. Maybe take in a game…and you cook dinner. Not much of a day off! Let’s make it a great meal for everybody but not too much work for you!

Have you ever eaten at Red Robin?  One of their most popular menu items is the Bonzai Burger.  This is a Bonzai Burger “Knockoff” Recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. This will be used to melt the cheese on the burgers at the end. 

Warm up a skillet on  the stove, medium heat, and spray with Pam. Place pineapple rings inside and sprinkle with soy sauce.  Simmer till the juices run almost dry.  Keep on very low heat until time to serve the meal.  

Start up the grill.

Form hamburger patties by hand, making a ball from the ground beef about the size of a tennis or baseball.  Squish each on a plate using a sheet of waxed paper, aluminum foil or even another plate, till they are flat.  Lay the formed patties on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover them on top with Teriyaki sauce. 

Take the patties to the grill and place them on the grid, sauce-side down.  Now pour some Teriyaki sauce on the un-sauced side. (Is “unsauced” a word? It is now!) Leave them on for a while before the first turning.  Turn them a couple of times, as they cook.  

When the juices just start to run, remove the burgers to a foil-covered baking sheet and bring indoors.  Top each with a pineapple ring, slices of precooked bacon, slice of Swiss cheese and pop in the oven to melt the cheese.  About 3-5 minutes should do it.

Place on hamburger rolls and garnish with the extras you like.  You may want to use: Thousand Island Dressing, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles and/or tomato slices or nothing extra at all.

Serve with chips, fries or macaroni salad on the side.  ENJOY!

Photo credit: Hamburgers on a Wooden Board by Grant Cochrane on freedigitalphotos