America is a nation based around food. Take a look around, all of our holidays, special events, birthdays, and even having the in-laws over involves food in some way. However some foods tend to be more popular than others. One staple of the American diet seems to be hamburgers. Americans consume 150 tons of hamburgers per year. That comes up to 100 burgers per person per year.
Unfortunately most of these are McDonald's burgers. With their convenient pricing and fast delivery of the food it is a hard thing to resist. This is a shame because not only are they easy to make, they can be made to taste much better than any Big Mac.
I am going to share with you my recipe for Joe's Awesome Burger' and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser at any event.
I always like to begin my recipes with this; this and all meat products should NEVER be cooked above medium-well. As far as taste is concerned a burger cooked to medium rare is far superior to anything else. Cooking to this level allows for the taste of the open fire you cook it on and the taste of the actual meat to combine and give you a god quality product.
Joe's Awesome Burger (Makes 4 Patties)
Ingredients
1lb of Ground Beef (Go for "Choice" meat, it is a higher grade than select)
4 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese
Cup of Red Onion, finely diced
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs
4tbs Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
2tbs Worcestershire
2tbs Franks Red Hot
2tbs Dijon Mustard
5 Strips of bacon, rendered, chopped, fine dice
Montreal Steak seasoning 1.5oz
1 tbs Basil, fresh, finely chopped
Method of Preparation
Gather and Prepare All Ingredients
Pre Heat Grill. I would never cook a hamburger in a saute pan or in an oven, only over an open flame.
Mix All of the Ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. I have also noticed that sometimes I need more breadcrumbs and other times less breadcrumbs. So, if the patties are not holding up more breadcrumbs may be required.
Put the patties on grill at least 1.5" away from each other and cook to desired preference. For medium rare, abut 5-7 minutes on each side should do the trick. Top with Pepper Jack cheese and allow time to melt.
Plate and serve, of course lettuce and tomato are optional.
Enjoy!