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!

Comments

Lisa said…
I make somthing similar but use gorganzola in place of regular blue cheese with beef dishes.
Lisa said…
I make somthing similar but use gorganzola in place of regular blue cheese with beef dishes.