Watchlords

Big apologies to the Down East Yankees still toiling under twenty feet of snow, but today it was about 59 degrees and sunny here in the Jolly PacNW, so I decided to grill some burgers!!

https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/96 ... ized-onion

This is the only link I could find for the recipe, and to view it you have to sign up with Cooks Country, but it's worth it. I varied the recipe slightly, using 80% lean ground beef, and using only one pound. I also used some thick cut bacon from the butcher's window.

The interesting thing about this recipe is that you grind up the bacon in a food processor, into a paste, and then saute that for about five minutes; then, after it's drained and cooled, you combine it with the ground beef, some salt and pepper, and shape them into patties. After forming the patties, if you stick 'em in the fridge for an hour or so, it'll firm them up so they're less likely to fall apart on the grill. I didn't bother with the onions or blue cheese, as I felt it somewhat ghey. I fired up the charcoal, let the grill get hot, and then put the patties on, three minutes on one side with the cover off, then on the other, putting sharp cheddar on top, to finish (about three minutes), with the cover on. And voila:



The grill will flare up some, from the fat from the bacon. Interestingly, the burgers don't scream the taste of bacon, but seem a lot richer and more beefy, if that makes sense.

Sante!

That looks amazing mate. Sign me up. Put some blue cheese and onions towards that and I see an eight fifty burger.

About time our new section was used to its fullest potential! That burger ... oh, man.

I might soon need to borrow one of pacer's belts, but them's eats, right there.

Props for using charcoal.

Looks awesome, John. Here's the recipe.

Grilled Bacon Burgers with Caramelized Onion

Why put bacon on your burger when you can put bacon in it?

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Changing bacon from an add-on to an add-in promised savory, bacony bliss in every bite. But mixing raw bacon with raw ground beef overworked and compressed the patties so that they cooked up tough and dry, and cooked crumbled bacon—though it mixed in better—tasted too crunchy. For the most bacon flavor and juicy texture, we processed raw bacon in the food processor and then cooked it briefly in a skillet so it would incorporate easily into the ground beef and disperse more bacon flavor throughout the burgers while staying moist and juicy. To take these burgers to even higher heights, we topped them with crumbled blue cheese and onion that we sautéed in some of the leftover bacon fat.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
8 slices bacon
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
1 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and chilled (1 cup) (optional)
4 hamburger buns, toasted

INSTRUCTIONS
Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls are our favorite hamburger buns, and Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon is our favorite thin-sliced bacon. Be gentle when shaping the patties, taking care not to overwork the meat, or the burgers will become dense. Serve the burgers with lettuce and tomato, if desired.

1. Process bacon in food processor to smooth paste, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until lightly browned in spots but still pink (do not cook until crispy), about 5 minutes, breaking up pieces with spoon. Drain bacon in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and let cool completely. Reserve bacon fat.

2. Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until well browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

3. Spread beef in even layer in rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle bacon, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt over beef. Gently toss with 2 forks to combine. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal mounds. Gently shape each mound into 3/4-inch-thick patty about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about 1/2 inch thick, creating slight divot. (Patties can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

4A. Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

4B. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Season patties with pepper. Cook patties divot side down, uncovered, until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip patties and top each with 1/4 cup blue cheese, if using. Cover and continue to cook until burgers register 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 degrees (for medium), about 2 minutes longer. Transfer burgers to buns, top with onion, and serve.


MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION
When we make burgers, we always form a shallow indentation in the center of each patty before cooking it. That’s because the collagen, or connective tissue, in ground meat shrinks when heated. This causes the bottom and sides of the meat to tighten like a belt, which forces the surface of the burger to expand. To prevent a bulging burger, press a 1/4-inch-deep divot into the center of each patty. When the collagen tightens, it will cause the divot to fill out so that it is level with the rest of the patty.


SHOPPING FOR BURGER BUNS
Ultimate burgers deserve top-notch buns. Our favorites are Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls: They boast a mild sweetness that pairs well with a rich, salty beef burger. They also have a particularly light, tender, moist texture. That’s because instead of hydrating the dough with water, Martin’s uses a mixture of potato flakes, milk, and butter (essentially mashed potatoes). Mashed potatoes are hefty and substantial, but in potato rolls, the milk protein and butterfat weaken the structure of the dough, leaving the rolls softer, moister, and more tender.


Bacon in Every Bite
For bacony goodness in every bite, we fold tiny pieces of partially cooked bacon into the ground beef. Grind eight slices of bacon to a paste in a food processor, and cook the paste gently in a nonstick skillet for just 5 minutes. Strain off the fat (reserve it for cooking the onion) before incorporating the cooled bacon into the beef.


FLAVOR FLECKS: We mix bacon bits deep into each patty.

Dang! Going to have to give these a try.

Racer-X wrote:Looks awesome, John. Here's the recipe.

Grilled Bacon Burgers with Caramelized Onion

Thanks, Russ!

While Cook's Country (part of America's Test Kitchen) is generally spot on with their recipes, my small Weber grill (which runs pretty fucking hot) took a little over six minutes total to get the burgers to medium rare. Also, while I like my burgers medium rare, it can be dangerous to not fully cook ground beef through to at least medium. CC's recipe of five minutes total will bring the burgers to rare.

^^^ noted.

Purchasing some beef tomorrow

"Down East Yankees still toiling under twenty feet of snow" ----- Ain't that the truth.
I have about 1/4 ton of dog poop from my Bloodhound and the Coonhound. Altho the stupid Bloodhound has found that frozen turds are some kind of dog delicacy and goes sniffing them out in the snow.
My forelorn grill is on the patio that's attached to the garage ----- can't even get the doors open to get the grill out.
10-day forecast sucks so there's no hope of Spring soon.
I'm envious, but hopeful!!!!

What poofter recipe thinks 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef and 8 slices of bacon will feed 4??

foghorn wrote:What poofter recipe thinks 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef and 8 slices of bacon will feed 4??

Conj, all I know is - just from looking at the burger, I can tell it's tastier and more succulent than anything you'd get at a gourmet burger chain, even, and here in NY we have tons of 'em. Don't get me wrong - I love Shake Shack and that kind of thing, but I'd choose that burger you made 10 times out of 10. Man, summer can't get here soon enough.

TemerityB wrote:

foghorn wrote:What poofter recipe thinks 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef and 8 slices of bacon will feed 4??

Conj, all I know is - just from looking at the burger, I can tell it's tastier and more succulent than anything you'd get at a gourmet burger chain, even, and here in NY we have tons of 'em. Don't get me wrong - I love Shake Shack and that kind of thing, but I'd choose that burger you made 10 times out of 10. Man, summer can't get here soon enough.

I understand the Rewstar's position, but these burgers are very rich. As I said above, I used 1 pound of GB and three slices of (thick cut) bacon, and made three burgers; I could barely finish one, and as anybody who's seen me knows, I enjoy my food.

conjurer wrote:I understand the Rewstar's position, but these burgers are very rich. As I said above, I used 1 pound of GB and three slices of (thick cut) bacon, and made three burgers; I could barely finish one, and as anybody who's seen me knows, I enjoy my food.

And here I thought it was mostly leering at that immensely charming Chinese lady in Longview.

Hawk wrote:

conjurer wrote:I understand the Rewstar's position, but these burgers are very rich. As I said above, I used 1 pound of GB and three slices of (thick cut) bacon, and made three burgers; I could barely finish one, and as anybody who's seen me knows, I enjoy my food.

And here I thought it was mostly leering at that immensely charming Chinese lady in Longview.

That, too. My love for food is about on par with my Yella Fever.

Could we close this subforum again, please?

conjurer wrote:

Racer-X wrote:Looks awesome, John. Here's the recipe.

Grilled Bacon Burgers with Caramelized Onion
[/quote

While Cook's Country (part of America's Test Kitchen) is generally spot on with their recipes, my small Weber grill (which runs pretty fucking hot) took a little over six minutes total to get the burgers to medium rare. Also, while I like my burgers medium rare, it can be dangerous to not fully cook ground beef through to at least medium. CC's recipe of five minutes total will bring the burgers to rare.

Buy a $5.00 meat thermometer and get the burgers to 140 Degrees Fahrenheit. That will eliminate any undercooking concerns and produce a burger that is still pink the middle.

I got really sick from a med. rare burger at my neighbors barbeque last summer. I haven't spoken to Sam and Ella since.