Bacon. Blue cheese. Caramelized onions. Burger. 'Nuff said.

The first cooking video that started it all. I snagged this from an old post on my Facebook page.

I think when I decided to make this burger, I had recently picked up 4 packets of bacon at the store. (Hey, it was on sale!) We were looking for ways to use it up. Putting it on a burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions was a no-brainer.

Mom always said -- Never eat anything bigger than your head. Oops!

Here's how I made them:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground beef (80-20 lean/fat ratio)
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. Black pepper
• 1 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1 onion
• Butter
• Balsamic vinegar
• Water 
• Bacon (I rationed out 1-2 slices per burger)
• Blue cheese crumbles
• Kaiser buns, or your bun of choice
• Your desired burger toppings -- I used sliced tomatoes and butter lettuce leaves

I started with the caramelized onions, since those take the longest:

1. Slice the onion into slivers and place into a heated skillet with a tablespoon or so of butter. Can also use a combination of butter and olive oil.
2. Cook slowly on LOW heat, stirring occasionally. After 50 minutes or so, they'll look very brown.
3. Add a couple tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar and water. Stir and cook a couple more minutes until the onions are jammy.

In between onion tending, I work on the rest of the burger:

1. Fry up that bacon! I cut each piece in half first so it fits better under the bun.
2. Put the beef into a bowl and add seasonings. Combine gently. I used clean hands for this and tried not to mix the meat too much. Otherwise, that could mean a tough burger!
3. Divide the meat into patties. I did 3, but you could probably do 4 patties for a more manageable chomping size.
4. When shaping the patties, use the old thumbprint trick. Put your thumb in the center of the meat and make a little dent. This should keep the center from puffing up like a football as it cooks. SIDE NOTE: In the video, I made my patties on the thicker side. In retrospect, I think I should have made them a little bit thinner. (Easier to fit in the mouth!)
5. Cook the patties on medium heat. I did 3-4 minutes each side, so there was still a little pink in the middle.
6. After the 1st flip, top with blue cheese crumbles and "tent" the burger to help melt that cheese. Since I was cooking on a stove-top griddle, I placed an upside-down loaf pan over the patties.

Now it's time to build your burger! I like to toast the bun first, either in the oven or on a stove-top griddle. Then stack meat (with melted cheese), followed by caramelized onions, tomato, then lettuce. I won't foist my stacking dogma on you though. Do it how you like!