- 3 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces pepperoni
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 potato buns, split
- Unsalted butter, softened, for spreading
- Pizza sauce (optional)
Instructions: In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the eggs, Italian seasoning and the garlic. Portion out the ground beef into 8 round balls of equal size. With 4 of the balls, form the base of the stuffed burgers, pressing the meat out so it has an edge that looks like a 4-inch bowl to hold the toppings.
Fill the patties with approximately 1 ounce each of pepperoni (sliced or chopped) and mozzarella cheese. Seal stuffed burgers with remaining balls of ground beef, and with hands, form finished patties that lay flat and do not bulge. Season patties with salt and pepper.
Set grill up for indirect cooking (all coals or burners on one side) and heat to medium-high (350-400 degrees) and grill on the cool side of the grill, undisturbed (lid optional), for 7-8 minutes. Flip burgers and continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes for medium doneness.
If desired, for added grill marks, place patties over the hot part of the grill for 1 minute each per side.
Remove burgers from the grill and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, spread the butter to both sides of each bun and toast on the grill for 2 minutes with lid applied. Top finished burgers with warmed pizza sauce or any other traditional toppings.
Makes 4 burgers
