Grilling in Wisconsin

The weather was just too wonderful last week to not take more advantage of being able to grill out. I searched through my Pinterest posts and found Greek Kabobs that sounded amazing and Pinot Noir Burgers. I had almost everything in the house for both of these and set to work.

First up the Greek Kabobs. I thawed out some chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, sliced them in to thin pieces and then threw them in a Ziploc bag with the marinade. I didn’t have Greek Seasoning, but I had almost everything that comprises it and made it myself. I omitted the marjoram. I let the chicken marinate while I made the avocado tzatziki sauce. I also soaked the skewers at this time to help prevent them from burning so quickly on the grill.

 

Then seal it up tightly so the steam doesn’t escape. This went on the grill before the chicken because it was going to take a bit longer.

 I threw the packets on the grill and skewered up the marinated chicken.

The directions said to only have them on the grill for 4 minutes per side, but I found that it took a lot longer to reach a safe consumption temp for me. Maybe their grill was hotter than mine. But when they were done, they smelled amazing. Notice the charring on the skewers – even with the water, they still burned.

Then it was time to unwrap the potatoes and serve up dinner. Everything was great. The chicken came off the skewer nicely and the tzatziki was nice and refreshing. The Greek flavors really came through the meal. And as always, the potato packet was delicious and filling.

Next up were the Pinot Noir Burgers. I didn’t have Pinot Noir in the house, but I had a bottle of New Age red that I substituted. I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in some of the wine and then set those on the side.

The burgers were a little moist because of the added wine, so we formed them and then set them in the fridge to firm up a bit before grilling them. I would suggest next time to really mash the burger into a ball as they are still very moist and crumbly on the grill. None fell apart and I have always heard that over-mixing the meat can make a tough burger.

With the burger, I also grilled up some pineapple and more potato packets.

Then it was time to assemble. I had Swiss cheese that we put on the bottom bun, topped by theburger and then the mushrooms and onions over the top. We did add a little Miracle Whip to the top bun for added flavor.

All said and done, the burgers were cooked medium well and had really great flavor. The pineapple was a great treat and the potato packets are always a great addition.

I will keep this on my repertoire as another way to make a grilled burger. I made some great ones for a Packer party in Fall for my friends and I think this ranks right up there with them.