Cooking with David Maciel
Sponsored by Ray’s Food Place, Furber Plaza
The Fourth of July always means firing up the BBQ. I really enjoy making these cheesy stuffed burgers. They come out juicy with every bite and are always a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- • 8 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1½ pounds of ground beef 75% to 80% lean
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced or dice
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• drizzle of olive oil
• ½ Tbsp butter
• Your favorite all-natural barbecue sauce
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted
Instructions
Pre-heat the BBQ to a medium to high heat.
In a large skillet, add bacon strips and heat over MED-LOW heat. Cook until bacon is cooked to your desired crispness, then transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to cool. Drain all but about a tablespoon of the bacon grease, reserving that last Tbsp in the pan.
Increase heat under the same skillet to MED heat. Add sliced onion and cook 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove onions to a plate, and turn off heat.
Divide the beef into 8 equal portions and shape into balls. On a flat surface, lay down a sheet of wax paper and top with a ball of ground beef. Top with another sheet of wax paper and use a flat bottomed pan to press the meat into ¼-½ inch patties. Repeat with remaining patties.
To one of the thin patties, top with 1/8 cup cheddar cheese, a tablespoon or two of the onions, and another 1/8 cup cheese. Leave a border around the patty. Top with another thin patty, pressing the edges of the top and bottom patty together to seal well. Shape into a thick burger patty.
Double check burger to make sure there are no holes, then season well with salt and pepper.
Heat the BBQ to medium high or indirect charcoal
Add burgers to the grill (I like to cook 2 burgers at a time to make sure I have room to flip them carefully), and cook approximately 8 minutes, until burgers are brown up the sides. Use a wide spatula and carefully flip burger to the other side and cook
another 5 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Add BBQ sauce and bacon to the bottom bun, top with burger, top with additional caramelized onions and a drizzle of more BBQ sauce. Top with the top bun and enjoy!
