It was a fine Saturday afternoon here in The Bitterroot Valley and  I was totally in the mood for a messy juicy burger, but not really in the mood to light any charcoal (because that would require a trip to the store) and definitely not interested in shaping meat into patties.  Let’s make a Steak Burger….Grab the frying pan! Cube Steaks are an excellent alternative and a great thing to have on hand.  Don’t tell me it doesn’t sound completely tempting, especially with some smoky onions, melted cheese and buttery sautéed mushrooms! Oh ya, and of course we want it drenched in Bourbon BBQ Sauce!

Clean and Slice some mushrooms….

Got onions? Shhhhh… a little cumin will give em a nice flavor.

Assemble and chow down.  (you may need some napkins)

Ingredients:

• 4 Cube Steaks
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Steak Seasonings (like Montreal Steak)
• 4 Ciabatta Rolls
• 4 Slices of Cheese (try white cheddar-my favorite)
• Your Favorite Bottle of Bourbon BBQ Sauce (not the whole bottle!  just enough for 4 burgers)

FOR THE MUSHROOMS

• 8 Tbsp. Butter
• 2/3 Cup White Wine
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 3 Tbsp. Dried Chives
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 Dozen Button Mushrooms (sliced)

FOR THE ONIONS

• 1 Lg. Sweet Onion (sliced)
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin
• Dash of Salt & Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

Clean and slice the mushrooms.  Place in a pot with the butter, wine, garlic, chives, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat.  Cover and allow the mushrooms to simmer on medium until fully cooked (about 20 minutes)Remove from heat and set aside until ready to spoon over the burgers.  Meanwhile, place the slices of onion in a small baking pan. Drizzle some olive oil over the onions and season with S&P and cumin.  Place on middle rack under your broiler and watch closely!  Jiggle or toss the onions occasionally during this process until desired browning occurs.  Heat up your frying pan on medium with oil and butter.  Place the seasoned steaks in the hot pan and cook.  They only take about 3-4 minutes per side. Add the cheese, cover and turn off heat to allow melting.  Slap it all together and serve with a nice salad or some chips.  We enjoyed a tomato corn salad with the burgers and it was DARN good!