Cola Burgers

Cola Burgers

1 egg

 1/2 cup cola beverage -- divided (do not use

 diet cola)

 1/2 crushed saltines -- about 15 squares

 6 tablespoons French salad dressing -- divided

 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

 Hamburger buns

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cola and 4 tablespoons salad

 dressing if you want a marinade to brush on the burgers. Mix well and

 set aside. If you don't want the marinade, decrease recipe ingredients

 to 1/4 cup cola and 2 tablespoons French dressing.

2. In a bowl, combine egg, 1/4 cup cola, cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons

 salad dressing, parmesan cheese, and salt. Mix well.

3. Add the beef and mix well. Shape into six or eight patties. The

 mixture will be very moist. Grill patties for 3 minutes on each side.

 Brush with cola marinade, if desired, and continue grilling for 8-10

 minutes longer, or until juices run clear, basting and turning

 occasionally.

My Notes: This recipe came from the July/August issue of Quick

 Cooking." I cooked the burgers on the George Foreman grill on my  countertop, and did NOT brush them with marinade.

 However, I made the marinade in a quart zip-lock bag. Into that

 marinade, I sliced a very large vidalia onion. I zipped it shut, and as  the burgers were cooking, I sloshed the onion around in the marinade.

 Then when I took the burgers off the grill, I put the marinated onion on, and grilled until tender. I served this over the hamburgers with no bun.

 ***I swear these are the absolute juiciest burgers I've ever made in the  whole world. The cola and French Dressing add a subtle tang to the  hamburgers and the flavor is delicious. This made six very large, very  thick burgers. The onions were delicious. I did increase the salt in the  recipe I typed to 1/2 teaspoon. Both Kenny and I added salt to ours, so  it needs more than the 1/4 teaspoon the original recipe called for.

 I don't know how these would do on a charcoal or gas grill. The meat  mixture is really moist when you mix it up, but after 3 minutes cooking,  it's firm enough to turn. (the egg, I guess...)

 I'll definitely do this one again. I had a reheated burger today for  lunch, and it was just as moist today as it was last night.