The first time I had ever tasted Red Robin's Banzai Burger was back in December for my birthday when I got my freebie burger. Josh and I always split their burgers because it just proves to be too much food for both of us. But I'm the type of person who always, and I mean ALWAYS gets the same thing when I go to a restaurant I'm familiar with. Josh is my better half and as my better half, he is constantly pushing me to try and do new things...and sometimes that means pushing my taste buds in a direction they wouldn't normally go. It was love at first bite. It was probably the first time I wished I hadn't split my birthday burger with my man, because I could of easily devoured the second half of that burger.
Fast forward to several months later and bam! I'm pregnant, which means, "Hello Pregnancy Cravings!" Pregnancy cravings are a funny thing. Josh and I were driving to Ikea one afternoon and I was hinting to Josh about how much I was craving Red Robin's banzai burger. Granted, at the same time I was craving that burger, I was also gearing up to satisfy my other craving at the moment - Ikea's swedish meatballs! YUM. But, we're talking burgers, not meatballs.
My husband and father to be for the third time is an incredible man. He came home from running our afternoon full of errands and got started working on dinner and would not tell me what he was making. Eventually, I was able to figure it out, but Josh nailed it with this burger! He hit every component perfectly in this succulently layered burger.
As kind of a taste test, we made this burger for my parents on Memorial Day. Now my parents like burgers, but nothing huge or too fancy. They are pretty simple with their burgers. But to mine and Josh's surprise, my parents inhaled their burgers so fast and went on and on about how surprised they were that they liked it so much and actually ate all of it! To get my parents stamp of approval on one of our burgers, that's a huge compliment.
I guess you know what you're going to be making on your next cook out - this burger, right here!
Banzai Burger
Serves 4
1 lb ground beef (85/15)
1 can Dole pineapple slices
4 hamburger buns
4 slices medium cheddar cheese
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup teriyaki marinade
2 medium size tomatoes
Mayonnaise
In medium bowl, combine 1-3 tablespoons teriyaki marinade with thawed ground beef. Depending on the texture and moisture of the beef you have, you may need more or less. Start with one tablespoon, and work the sauce into the meat with your hands until the meet is juicy, but not soggy. Divide beef into four equal-size portions and form into balls. Set each ball on an individual sheet of burger paper, and form using a burger press (for best results). If you don't have burger paper or a burger press, you can form using your hands, but the burger press will produce the most consistent results. Set aside.
Open can of pineapple slices and drain juice. Reserve drained juice for basting burgers during grilling. Slice tomatoes to medium thickness and chop lettuce into small pieces.
Preheat grill to high heat, and then reduce to medium. Oil grill grate, and then place burgers directly onto grill. Depending on burger thickness, grill approximately four minutes per side, flipping once, or until an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees is met. Baste burgers with remaining teriyaki marinade and reserved pineapple juice periodically during grilling. In final two minutes of grilling, top each burger with a slice of cheddar cheese, and add pineapple slices to grilling surface. Grill pineapple one minute per side. For this recipe, I do not recommend grilling the buns (the cool, soft bun and cold, crunchy lettuce contrast nicely with the hot, juicy burger and grilled fruit).
Put mayonnaise on buns and serve immediately, building in this order: bottom bun, mayonnaise, burger, cheese, tomato, two pineapple slices, chilled lettuce, mayonnaise, top bun. Enjoy!
