The TJ Hooker Burger

Dan’s TJ Hooker creation for the contest came about as we shopped our local Nugget Market. His first vision was to create a teriyaki/pineapple burger. We were on the hunt for the ingredients and then realized that Deede and I had created a version of that a few weekends before. Dan didn’t want to copy an idea, so he decided on a southwestern themed burger, creating the recipe on the fly as we walked down the store aisles.

The All-Natural Ingredients 😉
1 lb. Ground Beef – 80/20
2 oz. Cubed Kraft Velveeta Mexican Mild Cheese
1/4 Cup Corn – Del Monte Summer Crisp Golden Sweet Corn
1/4 Cup Tortilla Strips – Fresh Gourmet Tri-Color Tortilla Strips
Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese – Sargento
Chipotle Mayo – Kraft Sandwich Shop
Corn Dusted Kaiser Rolls – Sara Lee Whole Grain
Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

Directions:

• Combine beef, Velveeta, corn, tortilla strips, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Shape into 4 small or 3 large patties. (We made them again after the contest and preferred the bigger patties)
• Cook patties for 8-9 minutes on the Foreman Grill. (Any grill would work – he opted to use the Foreman in case someone else wanted to use the outdoor grill)
• Place cheese on top of the burger and let sit on paper towels (to absorb some of the juices) before adding the burger to the bun.
• Spread chipotle mayo on both sides of the bun, place the patty on top of the bottom bun and add more tortilla strips on top of the cheese. (Got all of that?)

The burgers had a little kick with the pepper jack and chipotle mayo and the texture with the added tortilla strips and corn was awesome. Like I mentioned above, we’ve already made them again since the party. Partly because we had leftover ingredients, but more because they tasted really good!

I’m very proud of my husband, I was definitely impressed. Awesome job Dan!