A full Caroline Burger Grill Out

If you've been around you know I'm addicted to Food Network. Addicted so much that I get so excited when I see their new magazine out at the store that I often buy it a couple times. Which means what I am really saying is that I can never remember if I bought (yes, even like two days ago)...so I buy it again.

This years July/August version is "Bring on the Burger." While I am not a huge Plain Jane burger fan, I am a fan of a Jazzy Jane Burger which is exactly what the Caroline Burger is.

Now... don't get scared away when I tell you this burger has three components, the burger...the chili...and the slaw. It's all super simple. Stop panicking or wondering about the chili and just do it. And when you do it, make some Doctored Up Canned Beans, Favorite Grilled Potatoes followed by the Double Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches and invite some friends over!

Carolina Burger - here are the three components and the ingredients. Read the instructions to see where I strayed!

Ingredients for Chili

2 T vegetable oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 T tomato paste

2 T chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp packed brown sugar

1 pound ground beef

salt and pepper

3/4 C canned crushed tomatoes

For the Slaw

3 T. Mayo

2 T. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 1/2 tsp white sugar (I always swap this for brown sugar)

2 C shredded coleslaw

salt and pepper

Ingredients for Burger

1 pound ground beef

salt and pepper

1 T vegetable oil

4 slices of cheese

1/4 yellow mustard

4 hamburger buns

1/2 white onion, chopped

Let's get Started

Make the Chili: Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add yellow onion and cook until softened. Add tomato pasta - I didn't have any in the pantry so I swapped it for some tomato sauce - worked perfectly, chili powder, cumin, oregano, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the beef, 1/2 tsp salt and few grinds of pepper. Continue cooking until beef is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup water (I didn't do this because I used tomato sauce). Bring to a simmer and cook until chili is thickened, about 20 minutes

Meanwhile, make the Slaw: Whisk the mayo, vinegar and sugar together. Like I said above, I always use brown sugar instead of white...it's life changing. Add the coleslaw and mix; season with salt and pepper.

Make the burgers: (these are directions directly from magazine, see my notes after reading) Mix the beef and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper in large bowl (see note). Form into four 4-inch wide patties about 1/2 inch thick.Heat the vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add burgers and cook until browned. About 2-3 minutes per side. Topping each patty with a slice e of cheese in the last 2 minutes.

Note: Alex Guarnaschelli always says not to over mix your meat. So I spread the meat out on a baking sheet, season it and then easily section in it off into equal patties. I like smash burgers, so while these were not, I tried to do them a tad thinner. Also, we smoked ours at 250 for about 45 minutes! We also put a thin spread of butter on the buns and grilled them for a tad. No one likes a soggy bun!