Currently on tour, Wisconsin rockers Motherwind have whipped up a frenzy as they come upon the US rock scene with their primal heavy psychedelic riffs and grooves, with electric live shows and a recipe to boot. With singles “2005” and “Razorblades & Lemonade” out, we’re looking forward to hearing more from the boys from the shores of the Eau Claire river.

Burgers and piñatas – Wisconsin rockers Motherwind tell us about their favourite sandwich.

Motherwind is all about having a good time while listening to good music, which is why we are so grateful to participate in Flavourpitch’s ‘Sandwich & Stories’ and submit a recipe and playlist for you all! It was difficult for us to agree, but we eventually decided to make some kind of burger. Growing up in Wisconsin, a good burger is something we hold very dear. Grilling in the summer, going to the bar and grill down the road to get a burger with the family, or finding a good burger joint while driving through the state is an experience pretty much everyone from our neck of the woods can relate to. Even now, as we start to play shows further from home, we still go out of our way to find a good burger at some point. With all of that in perspective, choosing between a gourmet grilled cheese or a hearty hamburger wasn’t the hard part. The problem was choosing a burger that best represents us. After much deliberating, we chose to make our own burger: The Piñata Burger A.K.A. The Bandwich. Motherwind without piñatas is like a grilled cheese without the cheese. To incorporate this into our sandwich, we filled the patty with some jalapeños and cheese and topped it with some candied bacon. And, because we are from Wisconsin, we HAD to add wayyy “too much” cheese. Throw some cheese slices on top of the bacon, top it with some crunchy, garlic-mayo crusted sourdough, and dive into the second best experience we could provide you (for the best, you need to come to our shows). Of course, you could enjoy the burger as is and experience gluttony-fueled enlightenment, but what’s the Motherwind experience without a movie reference and a little bit of self-deprication? To present this properly, you need to cut the sandwich in half and pull it apart. While watching the cheese pull, you can quote the movie The Room and say, “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” Bonus points if you have the movie on and present it during the scene. If you don’t want to watch the movie, you can throw on our playlist for while you’re cooking and/or eating this sandwich. If you made this and enjoyed it, please come to one of our shows and let us know! - Motherwind

The Piñata Burger A.K.A. The Bandwich recipe

Ingredients:

Bread

Sourdough loaf of your choosing, able to be cut into at least 8 usable 1⁄2” slices

1⁄2 cup mayo

1 tsp garlic powder

Cheeses

At least 2 oz Smoked Gouda

At least 2 oz Gruyere

Candied bacon

1 lb thick-cut bacon

1-1.5 cups brown sugar

Red pepper flakes

Maple syrup (optional)

Stuffed lamburger patty

1 lb ground beef (90% lean)

1 lb ground lamb

2 medium-sized fresh jalapeños

4oz soft spreadable goat cheese (a sweeter one of your choice, ideally w/ honey), room temperature

Seasonings

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sage

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander

~1⁄4 cup coffee salt rub:
3 pt instant espresso powder
1 pt sea salt
1 pt pepper

1⁄2 stick of butter

Method:

Candied bacon: Preheat oven to 425F/220C . Arrange bacon in single layer on a lined tray.

Bake 15 minutes, turn over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with brown sugar (heavily, around 1-2 tbsp per piece), red pepper flakes (a pinch or two), and drizzle each with a thin line of maple syrup.

Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until sugar starts to melts into bacon.

Remove from oven onto a paper-towel-lined plate, throw away parchment paper and save the (now bacon-greased) sheet tray. Lower oven temp to 350F/180C.

While bacon is baking, begin prepping patties: Mince jalapeños. Mix ground meats together, and thoroughly incorporate seasonings (from “salt” through “coriander”).

Portion meat into 4 equal patties, and then separate each patty into 2 pieces, roughly 60/40. Form the larger of each patty half into a patty with raised edges, and the smaller half into a cap for the larger patty.

Scoop roughly 1 oz of goat cheese into each patty and sprinkle roughly 1⁄2 of a jalapeño on top. Place cap patty over the top, and pinch the edges of it to the raised edges of the base patty to seal them together. Coat both sides of each patty lightly but evenly in coffee-salt rub.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium-large frying pan on med-low heat until it begins to brown. Place patties (2 or 3 at a time, based on what can fit in your pan) in the pan. Raise to medium heat, sear for 3 minutes, flip, sear other side for 3 minutes, move to sheet tray to rest. Continue until all patties are seared.

Add a small slice of butter to the top of each, then place tray in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove tray from oven, place two strips of candied bacon on each burger, top with a slice of smoked gouda and a slice of gruyere, put back in oven.

Raise oven temp to a broil, allow to broil until cheeses melt and brown, around 2-3 minutes, then remove from oven.

Assemble the sandwich: Mix garlic powder thoroughly into mayo, then lightly spread onto one side of each slice of bread. Heat a clean frying pan to medium-high, and place a piece of bread mayo-side down into the pan.

Put a finished burger patty onto the bread. Place another piece of bread mayo-side up on top.

Use spatula to check progress of bread as it toasts. Flip sandwich when bottom side is golden brown.

Allow other side to cook to golden brown. Move finished sandwich to plate.

Cut in half diagonally, split halves apart so insides spill out of patty.

Thank you for trying our recipe! Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the experience. If not, let us know on Instagram @MotherwindBand or tell us what went wrong at one of our shows!!!

What to drink with the Piñata Burger

Michael (bass) recommends a jalapeño limeade. Grab your favorite brand of limeade, slice up some jalapeños and toss them in. Let them sit for an hour at least, longer for more spice. Strain over a glass with ice to enjoy a great refreshing drink.

Where do you guys like to eat and drink?

Cafe: Lost Parrot Cafe at 1929 Huntington Dr, South Pasadena, CA. When we were in LA for a few things, I looked for a little cafe nearby and this was the first one that I found that was open and within walking distance. Great atmosphere and great coffee. Their ham and cheese omelet was exactly what I was looking for.

Bar/pub: Nutz Deep II, 809 S Central Ave, Marshfield, WI, is a hometown staple for us. If you go, you need to order their Nutz Deep Burger.

Restaurant: Zest Bakery & Coffee House at 624 Isadore St, Stevens Point, WI. It is a small coffeehouse right on the UW Stevens Point campus. They change their drink and food menu regularly, but it is always fun and tasty. They had a sweet peach bbq sandwich, I believe, at one point, but my most recent favorite has been their Barburrito, which is a shredded barbacoa burrito with jalapeno, lime, avocado, and pepperjack cheese.