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Monkey Gland Burgers

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Hi Everyone, today I would like to share with you, one of my favorite things to make on the Braai.

First thing you need to understand is that South Africans take Braai-ing (Barbecuing) very seriously... It's kinda part of our culture. On the 24th of September we celebrate "Heritage Day". Heritage Day is a national holiday where we celebrate our heritage. It is also commonly referred to as National Braai Day.

So in the spirit of National Braai Day, I would like to show you how to make Monkey Gland Sauce Burgers!

In this version I'll show you how to make the Monkey Gland Sauce from scratch as well as how to assemble the burgers. I have included two versions, one beef and one vegetarian. In the vegetarian version, I have substituted the beef patty with a large mushroom head/cap. If you are like me and have a vegetarian in the family... you'll understand my pain... :D ( No offense to any vegetarians out there :D )

I'm going to divide the tutorial into two parts. In Part A I'm going to show how to prepare the Monkey Gland Sauce and in Part B how to prepare and assemble the burgers.

PART A: The Monkey Gland Sauce

Monkey Gland Sauce is a South African Classic. It's a sweet tangy sauce best served with meat dishes.

What you'll need:

• Two large garlic cloves
• One large onion
• One small can of tomato puree
• One can of whole peeled tomatoes
• Half a cup of peach chutney
• Two tablespoons of brown sugar
• Three tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Three tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• Vegetable/Sunflower Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Note: This recipe will make a lot of monkey gland sauce... Not to worry, you can freeze the left over and reuse later on other meat dishes.

Step 1

Light up your braai!

Step 2

Slice the onion into medium sized rings. Add a little oil to your skillet, then add the onions.

Step 3

Once the onions turn soft and translucent, add the two chopped cloves of garlic.

Step 4

Fry the onion and garlic for a minute or two before adding the tomato puree. Keep stirring until all the onion and garlic is covered.

Step 5

Add the can of whole peeled tomatoes. Keep stirring until everything is mixed thoroughly.

Step 6

Add the rest of the ingredients:
Peach chutney, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper.
Mix ingredients thoroughly.

Step 7

Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add a little extra water if needed. Once your sauce becomes nice and tick, similar to the consistency of ketchup, it's ready. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little before serving.

Tip: To test if your sauce is ready, take your mixing / stirring spoon and pull a line through the sauce mixture. If the line stays open for 5 to 10 seconds before closing up... it's ready.

PART B: Burger Preparation and Assembly

What you'll need:

• Lean ground beef
• Large mushrooms caps
• One egg
• Onion
• Cheese
• Can of pineapple rings
• Burger buns
• Pickled cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter (Optional)

Step 1

Take a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, egg, diced onion, salt and pepper and mix all together.

Step 2

Divide meat into the number of patties you wish to make. Then form a ball with the meat and flatten into the shape of a burger patty. Tip: Cover your workspace with plastic wrap. It will make it easier to form and transfer the patties.

Step 3

Prepare the mushroom patty for your vegetarian burger. Wash the mushroom caps to remove any debris and shake to remove excess water. Next drizzle olive oil into the mushroom cap, followed by a little salt and pepper.

Step 4

Place your burger patties on medium heat coals. To test if the coals are just right, hold your open hand just above the grill, if you can hold your hand there for about 10 to 12 seconds before it becomes uncomfortable, then you know it's ready.

Step 5

Grilling your patties...
The mushroom patties should be grilled with their heads facing the coals. They should not be turned at all. The moisture will collect on the inside of the head and it will cook itself. Optionally you can add butter to soften inside the head to make it extra tasty. Grill mushrooms until they become nice and soft. Roughly 10 - 15 Minutes. For the beef patties, grill until nice and brown. This takes roughly 10 minutes.

Step 6

Grill the pineapple rings. You just want to heat them a little and give them a few grill marks...

Step 7

Toast the burger buns...

Step 8

Burger assembly... I'll create the vegetarian burger on the left and the beef burger on the right.
First add a layer of lettuce followed by pickled cucumber slices.

Step 9

Add the patties.

Step 10

Add the cheese. Sliced or graded.

Step 11

Add the pineapple rings.

Step 12

Add the Monkey Gland Sauce prepared earlier.

Step 13

Add the tops of the buns and your done!!

Now sit back and enjoy your marvelous creation...

I hope you have enjoyed reading my tutorial and I hope that I have inspired you to give it a try yourself.

PS: To all South Africans out there happy Braai Day on the 24th !!!

Regards, Johann :D