Shiner Bock Hamburger Buns

I’ve seen food bloggers say that once you make homemade hamburger buns, store bought buns are never the same. I can now vouch for that statement and say that it’s very true! (but then again, isn’t fresh baked bread always better?) I bookmarked this recipe a while back, since any Shiner infused food is right up my alley, but just recently got around to finally making these hamburger buns.

I paired them with my favorite pulled pork recipe (my how my photography has improved since then!) and it was a big hit. This recipe makes lots of buns for two people, so I simply froze half of them for future meals. The whole wheat flour gives an even healthier flavor and deeper color to these soft buns that are just firm enough to handle whatever sandwich you want to make of them. I think next time burgers are in store – can’t wait!

Shiner Bock Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bottle Shiner Bock, room temperature and flat
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and let sit for 10 minutes. Add honey, oil, and Shiner. Add dry ingredients and turn mixer to low.

After the dough is mixed well, turn to medium speed and knead for 5-7 minutes (adding additional whole wheat flour 2 Tbsp at a time if necessary) until sides of the bowl are cleaned and the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic until it doubles in size. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half. Form 6 buns from each half. Place buns 1/2 inch apart on a lined baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the egg with 1 Tbsp warm water. Brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Teriyaki Bacon Burger

This burger has a lot of history in our house…you see, TGIFridays had a Teriyaki Bacon Burger that Hubster and I would go VERY often to eat. Sadly, it was a limited time meal and we were suddenly left without our beloved burger. But, that just gave us the perfect excuse to recreate it at home! I’ve made them once or twice before and friends, they are delicious!

So, let me rewind again. (sorry if I’m a little scatterbrained here!) Hubster and I have been training for the past several months. Lots and lots of hours of running all around our small town in the Texas summer heat and now in the cold winter weather. It’s been exhausting, but exhilarating. We ran a 5K in June, a Half Marathon in October, and I can proudly say that on Sunday, we completed the White Rock Marathon in Dallas…woohoo! (check out my medal!)

We both burned over 3,000 calories on this run. So, needless to say, we planned our “victory meal” wisely. Hubster was really craving a big juicy burger, so we turned to our favorite Teriyaki Bacon Burger on this special occasion. And it was good. So very very good.

Teriyaki Bacon Burger

Ingredients:
4 hamburger patties (or any kind of patty you like)
4 hamburger buns
4 slices of Colby Jack Cheese
1 small can of pineapple rings
4 slices of bacon
Chow Mein noodles
Lettuce (any kind, I prefer romaine)
Cilantro (optional)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Corn Starch

Directions:
Season both sides of hamburger patties with salt and pepper. Grill them to desired doneness. Top patties with a slice of cheese and let it melt. Grill the pineapple slices until done. Toast buns on grill if desired.

For the teriyaki sauce, combine the teriyaki sauce and brown sugar and warm in a small pot on the stovetop. Add a mixture of cornstarch and water (see box) to thicken sauce. Cook bacon in frying pan until done. Top the burger with pineapple, bacon, Chow Mein noodles, lettuce, and cilantro. Drizzle teriyaki sauce on top. Enjoy!

Source: A Beckster original, inspired by TGIFridays

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Happy Saturday everyone, I hope yall are having a great weekend! I’ve been holding onto this recipe for a few months now and finally made it. It was worth the wait, but I wish I’d tried it sooner because it was delicious! A few months ago, when we were still living in Virginia, my husband saw this recipe on the Food Network and DVR’d it for me to check out. Needless to say my mouth was watering and I bookmarked it right away.

You can just prep this in the morning and let it sit in the slow cooker all day, then dish it up and enjoy a yummy dinner! I’ll also include some notes regarding little changes I made or issues I faced when prepping for this meal.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 packet dry marinade rub*
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder**
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup chili sauce***
3/4 cup pineapple juice
Handful of chopped carrots or baby carrots****
Hamburger buns

Hawaiian Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced

Directions:
In small bowl, combine dry rub mix, paprika and pepper.

Coat the pork the with rub mixture, patting until all rub is used. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, chili sauce and pineapple juice. Set aside.
Put the carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the pork on top of the carrots and pour half of the sauce juice mixture over pork. Reserve remainder for Hawaiian sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. The meat should fall apart easily. Remove the roast from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Using 2 forks carefully pull the meat into shreds. Serve the pork on rolls drizzled with the Hawaiian sauce or on the side for dipping.

Hawaiian Sauce:
In a medium pot, heat garlic over medium heat about 2 minutes. Add the remaining sauce mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Source: Adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Notes:
*For the dry rub, I used McCormick Grill Mates Hawaiian Luau. I found it at Kroger. I couldn’t find the Teriyaki rub the original recipe suggested but any similar flavor would be good.
** The original said to use 3 1/2 pounds, but for two people, 2 1/2 was plenty! The original also needed leftover pork for other recipes.
***Just FYI, chili sauce can be found right by the ketchup at the grocery store. It took me forever to find!
****The original said to use chopped onions and carrots, but I only had baby carrots. They worked great!

Enjoy!