Cooking Weblog

Summer time is here! It’s time to light up the bbq. Here is a great burger idea for you to try. There is something about a great burger off the bbq that hits the spot on a warm summer afternoon. Juicy and delicious!

Ingredients:

2lbs. hamburger ( 22% fat )

8 slices swiss cheese ( thick sliced )

2 tomatoes ( sliced )

1/2 head romaine lettuce ( leafed )

1 onion ( sliced )

1lb. thick cut bacon

8 kaiser rolls

margarine

salt

pepper

garlic powder

1000 island dressing

Method: Prep

Shape hamburger into 1/4 pound patties. They should be thin enough to overlap the bun by about 1/4 inch. Some shrinkage will occur while cooking and the extra 1/4 inch will disappear leaving you with a perfect fit for your bun. Lightly season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside covered ( you can refrigerate them but you want them at room temperature before cooking, frozen patties will cook faster on the outside leaving the middle undercooked ).

Tip: 22% to 25% fat content is ideal for burgers because the fat content keeps the burger juicy. Anything leaner than that has a tendency to dry out which doesn’t make for a good burger.

Cut bacon strips in half and cook in a skillet on medium heat. Only put enough bacon in the pan at a time to cover pan in one layer not overlapping. You don’t want the bacon to curl on you, You’re looking for flat strips. Repeat until done placing the bacon on a plate covered with 2 paper towels to absorb excess grease. Set aside covered.

Empty all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease out of your skillet and saute onions in the same pan. Place onions in a bowl and set aside.

Note: Cooking your onions in either bacon grease or hamburger grease will give your onions much more flavor than cooking them in oil. Once you try this method you will probably never want your grilled onions any other way.

Arrange your lettuce and tomato on a plate for easy assembly.

Butter the kaiser rolls with a thin layer of margarine ( like buttering a piece of toast ).

Arrange your lettuce/tomato plate, grilled onions, bacon and 1000 island dressing all together for easy assembly.

Cooking the burgers:

On a medium high heat place the burgers on your grill ( don’t touch them once they’re on ) and cook until you see the juices forming on the top, this is a sign that they are ready to flip ( about 3 to 5 minutes ). Flip, add swiss cheese and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until done and cheese is melted. Remove to a cookie sheet and cover with foil being careful not to touch the cheese.

Cooking the buns:

Place buns buttered side down on a 350 degree griddle and cook until buttered side is golden brown ( about 3 to 5 minutes ). Doing your buns this way makes a huge difference in the final product. Please don’t leave this step out:-)

Assembly:

Top bun:

Add about a tablespoon of 1000 island dressing and spread on top bun. Add your lettuce and tomato.

Bottom bun:

Place patty with cheese on bun, add 3 to 4 slices of bacon and about a tablespoon of grilled onions.

Place top bun on bottom bun and enjoy

Makes 8 delicious burgers.

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