Written by  Joan Ruskamp  @ Common Ground Nebraska

These Sweet Hawaiian Mini Burgers are easy to make and taste so good for tailgates or holiday parties! Also, by using lean beef, you are getting an excellent source of nutrients, including ZIP – zinc, iron, and protein! I got this recipe from beefitswhatsfordinner.com – you can get the skinny on lean beef and more recipes on this website.

Beef is so important to me because my husband and I own a cattle feedlot near Dodge, Nebraska. Our early years of farming taught us to work hard and think smart. As our farm grew so did our family. We have five children ages 18-29 with a granddaughter that was born in January.

Our feedlot was setup in the 1960’s to feed a few hundred head of beef cattle and has grown over the years to a capacity of 4,000 head. Some of my jobs on our farm include walking through cattle every morning, Sundays/holidays/rain/snow/heat/cold, to make sure each one is healthy, computerized records for accounting and the feedlot, giving vaccinations and doctoring those that get sick.

Also, as a volunteer EMT for our local rescue squad, my skills for looking and treating sick cattle come in handy. The first thing an EMT does when arriving to a patient is to see how they look and listen for normal/unusual sounds. As a person checking cattle every day, we also look and listen. We look at the cattle for visible signs of distress and listen for abnormal sounds. One of the most obvious signs of health is seen in the ears. Cattle normally have a slight upward tip in their ears when they are comfortable and healthy.

Signs of illness in cattle can be droopy ears, breathing sounds and loose stools. It is the job of hundreds of pen riders each day to look for these cattle, remove them from their pen and take care of them. The animals treated with antibiotics are recorded in a manner that prevents them from entering the food supply until USDA withdrawal times have been met.

You can read more about how we take care of our cattle through my CommonGround Nebraska blogs, here.

 

Now, enjoy this recipe and watch Diane and I cooking the Sweet Hawaiian Burgers and Silk-Free Sweet Corn on the Morning Blend!

httpv://youtu.be/9N_-zCipk5o

Sweet Hawaiian Mini Burgers

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 canned pineapple slices, drained
12 Hawaiian sweet or small whole wheat dinner rolls, split
Lettuce

Sauce

1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tbsp packed brown sugar

Directions

1. Combine ground beef and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into twelve 1/2-inch thick mini patties. Set aside.

2. Combine sauce ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat,
stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

3. Preheat grill.

4. Meanwhile, brush 2/3’s of the sauce over burger patties and pineapple rings.

5. Place patties on grill and cook 9 to 11 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally.

6. Place pineapple on grill around patties. Grill pineapple 4 minutes, turning once and brushing with additional sauce. Remove pineapple, keep warm. Brush burgers with remaining sauce after turning.

Cut each pineapple slice into thirds. Line bottom of each roll with lettuce, top with burger, then with pineapple piece. Close sandwiches.

(Feature Image Source)