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Posted on Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11:53 a.m.

PB&J Burgers with Concord grape ketchup

By Jessica Webster

pbj_burger_webster.jpg

When I finally realized that the peanut butter needed to go on the bun and not in the burger, the experiments got a whole lot more tasty.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

We've been talking a lot about burgers these past couple of weeks online at AnnArbor.com. We've shared some of our favorite local burger joints, then asked our readers to vote for their favorites. We've also been exploring some of the more creative burgers in Washtenaw County.

All this talk about burgers had me excited to experiment in my own kitchen. After a brainstorming session with some other reporters, I decided that the world was ready for a peanut and jelly (and bacon) burger.

I was convinced that the secret to a peanut butter and jelly burger was to mix the peanut butter IN the ground beef. The peanut butter, I thought, would act as a binding agent, and if I just used 2 tablespoons of the stuff in each 1/4 pound burger, the flavor wouldn’t be overwhelming.

I was wrong.

When I added peanut butter to hamburger meat before cooking it, I ended up with weirdly textured patties that tasted entirely of peanut butter.

I went back to the drawing board, adding some spicy sambal oelek to the meat and peanut butter mixture, since peanut butter matches well with spicy flavors. The flavor improved significantly, but the mushy texture issues were insurmountable.

I was stumped. Friends suggested just topping a burger with peanut butter and jelly, but that just didn’t seem at all creative.

I shared my sob story with my friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the kind of person I’d hate if I didn’t love her so much. She’s ridiculously organized, incredibly creative, and a terrific cook. Before I was done with my story, she had run down to her basement pantry and come back with the perfect, elegant solution: a jar of grape ketchup that she had canned.

She shared the recipe with me, saying, “You can tell from the typography that this cookbook is from the 1980s.”

1980s fonts not withstanding, this recipe is timeless, and it paired perfectly with the burger and peanut butter. I’ve shared the recipe below. If you’re not up for canning a few jars of grape ketchup, rest assured that a tart cherry preserve or another not-so-sweet jam works great on the PB&J burger. If you have the time, though, this ketchup is delicious.

I tested the burger with an unadulterated hamburger patty, and tried the peanut butter on the bottom half of the bun. Success! The peanut butter complements, and even enhances, the meatiness of the hamburger patty. And the grape ketchup (or sour cherry preserves) adds just a little sweetness.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger

1 pound ground beef - I prefer 85 percent lean
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of bacon
4 hamburger buns
Creamy peanut butter
Concord grape ketchup (recipe follows) or sour cherry preserves

Cook the bacon on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven until crispy; about 15-20 minutes. Remove from stove and set the bacon on some paper towels to drain.

Gently mix the ground beef with the salt and pepper and — limiting the amount of handling — form into 4 patties.

Cook the burgers the way you normally do. I use a gas grill when the weather cooperates, or a grill pan over a gas stove when cooking indoors.

While the burgers are cooking, slice and toast the buns. When they’re toasted, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the bottom half of each bun.

When the burgers are cooked to your preferred temperature, remove from the grill and place directly on the buns. Top each patty with about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of the Concord grape ketchup or your favorite fruit preserves. Then layer on 2 slices of bacon and the bun top.

Concord Grape Ketchup - from the cookbook “Fancy Pantry” by Helen Witty

2 1/2 pounds ripe Concord grapes, stemmed, rinsed and drained
1 quart water
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the grapes and water in a large saucepan or preserving pan and bring them slowly to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer the grapes, partly covered, until the skins are tender, about 15 minutes.

Press the mixture through a medium sieve or a food mill fitted with the medium disc; discard the seedy debris. Strain the pulp again, this time through a fine-meshed sieve. You should have about 6 cups.

Combine the pulp with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice, cloves and black pepper in a preserving pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat and cook the ketchup uncovered, stirring it often, about 45 minutes, or until it has thickened. To test, remove the pan from the heat and chill a small amount of ketchup on a chilled saucer; it is thick enough if a track remains when a fingertip is drawn through the sample.

Reheat the ketchup to boiling and ladle into hot, clean half-pint or pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with new two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer’s directions and process for 15 minutes (for either size jar) in a boiling water bath. Cool, label and store the jars.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com, a part of the MLive Media Group. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

Comments

citrus

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 9:38 p.m.

It's the word "jelly" that makes it sound so...icky, (even my kid thinks grape jelly is awful) but the concord grape condiment is really more of a chutney. Chutney, nuts, and grilled meat? Why not? You could repost this next week with a different name, and bet you'd get a different reaction!

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 9:43 p.m.

I could have used you yesterday when I was writing this headline! Thanks for the tip.

treetowncartel

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:46 p.m.

Try mixing in some coffee and brown sugar with the ground meat.

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 9:40 p.m.

Thanks for the tip! I might have to give that a try.

treetowncartel

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 9:15 p.m.

Brewed coffee I'm pretty sure. I read something on a different news outlet about the history of the hamburger. Menchas(sp) in Ohio, one of the places that claims to have originated the hamburger, ground beef between bread, uses this method. I'm going to try it sometime soon myself.

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 8:35 p.m.

Espresso powder, or brewed coffee? Sounds interesting!

West of Main

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.

Why would you concoct such a monstrosity? Gross, real gross.

treetowncartel

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 9:19 p.m.

It is called an experimental, if it doesn't work out you can always order pizza.

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:25 p.m.

Peanut butter burgers have become fairly common in the past few years. While I wouldn't expect you to try this recipe, you might check out the Mr. Peanut burger at Wurst Bar.

oyxclean

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 5:39 p.m.

Jessica, can't wait to make the Concord grape ketchup! Don't know if I can do peanut butter though :)

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.

The ketchup is really lovely. I hope you like it!

Local Yocal

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 4:23 p.m.

Sounds Horrifying.

Tex Treeder

Fri, Jun 7, 2013 : 11:21 a.m.

I'm with Local Yocal on this one. I have nothing against experimental cooking, but this sounds really disgusting. Why would you even want to destroy a perfectly good burger with peanut butter? Just gross.

Jessica Webster

Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 4:59 p.m.

I won't argue with you on that. But it tastes delicious.