Dynasty Burger with Spicy Hoison Barbecue Sauce

By Paul Briand

This is the third in a series of three articles on dogs and burgers ... specifically new takes on the grilling favorites.

We started with Pesto-Parmesan-Topped Burgers, then moved on to Kielbasa Chili Dogs. Today it's back to burgers, but with an Asian influence, courtesy of Martin Yan of "Yan Can Cook" fame.

For Yan, this burger recipe is not only about the flavor but also about the textures.

"I am so passionate about this homemade burger recipe that I have spent my entire life trying to perfect it — and I am still working on it!" he said in an e-mail to the Associated Press, which wrote a story about this burger. "I'm using chopped fresh vegetables and herbs and incorporating Asian seasonings/spices, trying to find the right combination/proportion of ingredients to bring the flavor to a new level."

Ingredients

For the hoisin barbecue sauce:

1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

For the burger:

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 hamburger buns

4 leaves lettuce

1 large tomato, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. To make the barbecue sauce, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside;

2. To prepare the burgers, in a medium bowl, combine the beef, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and pepper. Mix well, then form the meat into 4 patties, each about 4 inches round;

3. Heat a grill or grill pan to high;

4. Add the patties and cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Allow the burgers to rest off the heat for 2 to 3 minutes;

5. Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun. Top each with some of the barbecue sauce, then arrange a piece of lettuce, and slices of tomato and red onion slices on each.