Baked BBQ Burgers And Onion Rings

What a week.  What a very long week.  And it's only Wednesday.  


This shirt about sums it up!

I've been in a training class all week, which has thrown off my entire sleep/work/chore schedule, and that has prompted easy meals this very strange January week.  However, we have been eating our dinners early and that has made a huge difference in our entire day!  That just might become a new thing.  Early Bird special with the seniors at 4pm...I totally get it now.  

I've had a couple of new recipes on the menu and tonight I just decided to make some Baked BBQ Burgers and Crispy golden buttery salty delicious homemade Onion Rings and Fries.  Need I say more?

BBQ sauce is really easy to make and it's even better when you modify the ingredients to your own taste.  I like a smoky sweet sauce.  If you don't prefer to make your own, just use your favorite bottled brand.  Here's an easy fallback sauce recipe. 

BBQ SAUCE:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1/8 teaspoon pepper

BURGERS:

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats  (Adds great source of fiber and serves as a binder I use it in my meatloaf too)

1/4 cup BBQ sauce + 1/4 cup more for basting

1 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning (my favorite)

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (you can easily substitute other ground meat)

hamburger buns

(lettuce, cheese, pickles, tomatoes, optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Set aside 1 cup barbecue sauce to serve with burgers.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, oats, 1/4 cup of the remaining barbecue sauce, seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place burger patties on a foil lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.  Serve with your favorite burger toppings.

*NOTE:  I like to use a roasting rack to place my burgers on, so all of the extra fat drains from the meat without allowing the meat to sit in it.