Hawaiian Hamburgers

I love hamburgers but sometimes I just want to make them a bit different. I came up with this idea after having pineapple on pizza. Pineapple is really great with any meat and it really adds some great flavor to hamburger.

NEED:
Ground meat ( 80% to 20% makes the best burger - you'll see it marked on the package)
**allow approximately 1/4 pound per burger**
1 can of pineapple rings - in their own juice - remove rings and set juice aside
pepper
1 medium sweet onion..cut into thin slices
lettuce - I like the crunch of ice burg lettuce
Buns - I like to use wheat or multi-grain
Mayo - optional
Ice cubes ** great trick you are going to love**

Make your patties ( do not over work the meat ) and place them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Pour 1/2 of the pineapple juice over the burgers and set aside for about 10 minutes.

You can grill them outside or use a stove top grilling pan, which is what I do.
You want to pre heat which ever one you are using. Preheating keeps the meat from sticking. Preheat for about 2 minutes on medium. You want to cook the burgers on a medium setting. If it's too hot the burgers will be done on the outside and still raw on the inside.

Place the burgers in the pan and lightly pepper them. NOW, for the great trick. Add ice cubes in openings around the burgers ( about 5 or 6 cubes ) and place a lid on the pan. Make sure the lid is not on tight..tip it or set it sideways so that steam can escape. This is a diner trick and I use it for all meats I make in the grill pan. The steam will help cook the burgers but will also add moisture. You want the steam to escape as the ice slowly melts so that the burgers are not sitting in water.

Check off and on to make sure pan is not dry. If needed added a few more ice cubes.
Turn after 5 minutes and drizzle pineapple juice over each burger. Add a few ice cubes if needed.

Let cook 3 minutes and check for how done they are. You can press the center. If its very soft they are still fairly raw in the center. The firmer they are the more done they are. If you want, you can take a sharp knife and make a small slice in one and check the "pinkness". Cook to your desired taste.

Once done, remove burgers to platter and cover with foil. Now place pineapple rings in grill pan until heated and slightly brown on the edge. Do not grill too long as that will make the pineapple tough.

If you want to use mayo spread it on the bottom bun. Placing mayo on the top bun will cause the pineapple to be sliding out of the bun. Top mayo with a slice of onion, then add the burger, lettuce and top with a ring of grilled pineapple.

ENJOY!