Big Fat Burger

How do you not love a big fat juicy messy cheeseburger? 

Come on, you know you hear it playing in the back of your mind:

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good god almighty which way do I steer for my

Chorus:
Cheeseburger in paradise (paradise)
Heaven on earth with an onion slice (paradise)
Not too particular not too precise (paradise)
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jimmy+buffett/#share

I heard it calling me. It wasn't paradise - exactly.  It was a perfect autumn Sunday in New Jersey and it was time to uncover the grill.

After a quick trip to the store, I had all the fixings for this beautiful guy........



Smoky BBQ, Bacon & Carmelized Onion, Monterey Jack Cheeseburger - Heaven on a Kaiser Roll!


Doesn't that look good?  And it tasted even better!

Here is what you need:

For 2 burgers:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
4 slices bacon
1 medium onion
2 slices Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Kaiser rolls
BBQ sauce - your favorite
pickled jalapenos - optional
mayo
salt and pepper

Here is what I did:

Cook the 4 slices of bacon in a skillet.  Normally, I like to cook my bacon on sheet pans in the oven, but for this, I do it on the stove top in a pan.  Reason being -

Once bacon is cooked, drain off all but 1-2 Tbsp of bacon fat.  Add sliced onions and cook on low until onions get nice and carmelized.  The onions release their natural sugars and are really sweet this way.

For each burger, I took about 6-8 ounces of ground beef.  I used the 80/20 - you need to have some fat for these burgers to keep them juicy.  Roll the patties into a ball and then flatten to desired thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook the patties on the grill for about 4 minutes, then flip over and cook another 4 minutes.  Baste the cooked side with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Turn over one more time, baste other side with BBQ sauce and add cheese until melted.  I used Monterey Jack but you can substitute with any cheese you like American, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Provolone. 

To assemble, spread a little mayo on your kaiser roll.  Okay, normally I am NOT a fan of mayonnaise, but something about it blending with the bbq sauce on this burger sends me reeling.  Just a smidgen of mayo - not much.  I promise - you will love it!

Place burger on bun, top with a little more bbq sauce, then add carmelized onions, bacon and some pickled jalapenos if your heart so desires. 

Grab a handful of napkins and if you haven't already done so, open an icy cold beer - because nothing goes better with a good burger then an ice cold beer - no matter what time of year it is.


Dive in!!