Photography by Gav Martell

I’m a hamburger purist. I like buying my own ground beef, loosely forming my own patties and seasoning with little more than some salt and pepper, or Montreal steak spice. I generally let my sauces and toppings do the heavy lifting—I just find a hamburger is so delicious as it is, why mess with a good thing? Take that great foundation and build on it.

With winter in full gear we could all use a little reminder of some sunny destinations where we’d rather be. This hamburger is Jamaican in inspiration from start to finish. Paired perfectly with some plantain chips this burger has a sweet pineapple-barbecue sauce, savoury jerk aioli, and a solid kick from some Scotch Bonnet pepper. You can close your eyes while taking a bite and dream you are kicking back on a white sandy beach surrounded by lapping waves. Enjoy & stay warm!

The Jerk Burger

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
• 1 pound medium ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 hamburger buns
• 4 tbsp pineapple cooking sauce
• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp jerk seasoning
• 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, sliced
• Plantain chips, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Form ground beef into four patties and season with salt and pepper. Place hamburgers on grill and cook until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium, turning once only.
2. In a small bowl combine pineapple sauce and barbecue sauce. In a separate small bowl combine mayonnaise and jerk sauce.
3. To compile sandwich, spread mayonnaise on buns, top with hamburger, pineapple-barbecue sauce and peppers. Serve alongside plantain chips.

By day, Gav Martell is vice president at a software company. By night, he’s busy cooking up a storm, exploring culinary adventures, watching copious amounts of Food Network, drinking a nice red wine, training for half-marathons, playing endless amounts of hockey, and being a dad to three awesome taste-testers—not necessarily in that order. Each Monday, he shares a yummy recipe or great food tips to help your family get the most out of mealtime. Check out his blog at GrillInterrupted.com. You can also find him on Twitter.