This post is part of a kick butt burger grill giveaway hosted by GirlCarnivore but the burger epicness all belongs to Nina!
May is National Burger Month!
Every year a whole bunch of blogging buddies create some of the most epic burgers ever and post them all in one place so you don’t have to go far to find a new and exciting burger. Whether you’re in the mood for beef, pork, turkey, seafood, beans, lamb…whatever! You name it, they’ve created it! #BurgerMonth has it all! Some of these burgers are kuh-razy outrageous, like you would probably not tackle them at your everyday family BBQ, but most are just a super creative twist on America’s favorite summertime food.
Last year, I created the Chinese Takeout Burger with Asian Slaw and even though it sounds a little weird, it was actually pretty damn good. That Asian Slaw and that burger sauce is freakin delish! (insert Homer Simpson drool noise here)
This year I gave Nina a shot. She wanted to be a part of the meat-eatin awesomeness and test out her blogging skills. So, I’m turning over the site to her today to share her Cheddar Stuffed Burger topped with Fried Onion Strings and Candied Bacon. With a few modifications, you can serve this burger up any day of the week without going crazy. It’s not your average burger, but it isn’t so over the top that you wouldn’t attempt to give it a shot.
She came up with this and did all the cooking and writing herself. I’m so proud of her.
So, without further adieu… Heeeeeeeeeere’s Nina!
Welcome to Day 22 of #BurgerMonth! Today I’ll be sharing with you my burger, which is personally my new favorite. And when I say my favorite, it will soon be yours too. It’s got all my favorite meats and stuffed with gooey cheese that oozes out when you bit in. It includes melty sharp, yellow Vermont cheddar, thick, caramelized bacon and fresh fried onion strings. I topped it with a drippy, barbecue sauce mayo that really made me drool.
This burger is a giant angus beef burger stuffed with a seriously sharp, melty, yellow Vermont cheddar cheese that oozes out once you bite in. The fried onion strings are homemade and taste a lot like those fried onions in the can, but like waaaaaaaaaay better. You know the ones that top that weird green bean thing at Thanksgiving? You could totally use the canned ones if you want, but homemade is always better.
Then there’s the candied bacon. Strips of thick sliced bacon basted in maple syrup and brown sugar and slow cooked on the grill until sweet and chewy and oh so amazing. It’s so wrong. but it tastes sooooooooo right!
I topped it with a simple sauce made with my new favorite barbecue sauce (I love you Red Duck!) and mayo, easy and delish!
You can totally skip this step if you want, I think it’s just to make the lines, but you’re not really gonna see them in your burger. Up to you.
Look at that sweet, chewy deliciousness!
While you’re getting your onion strings ready, heat up your oil to 375°f (mine was a little higher, but it comes right down when you drop your onions in.
Once you drop your onions in you just want to give them a little stir so they don’t all clump together
Yum, right? Do not put on top of green beans! That’s just not ok.
Use half the ground beef for the “bottom” patty and stack your cheese on top in the center.
Cover with rest of the beef and squish it together to seal the edges so the cheese doesn’t ooze out all over your griddle. I kind of squished it and rolled it kind of like a meatball, then flattened it out again.
Cook on a griddle or in a cast iron pan on medium heat until it’s nice and brown. It needs to cook kind of slow to give the cheese a chance to melt inside. The burger is super thick and I used tongs to roll it along the edges to brown the sides up too. Look at that crust. Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmmm!
Now toast a delicious brioche bun, and load that burger up with bacon and crispy onion strings and don’t forget to top it off with that easy, delicious barbecue mayo (or whatever sauce you like on your burger) and show it who’s boss!
Happy #BurgerMonth
Before you check out the recipe, make sure you enter for a chance to win the raffle. Check it out! It’s amazing! These awesome sponsors are giving away sooooooooo many great products! Enter using the Rafflecopter below and get a ton of chances if you like all the other bloggers participating in, what might be my favorite time of the year.
All winners will be entered to win a Weber Spirit II E-310 gas grill!
Grand prize grill winner will be announced June 4th
Cheddar Stuffed Burger with Fried Onion Strings and Candied Bacon
A delicious beef burger stuffed with sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, loaded with fresh, fried onion strings and candied bacon and topped with an applewood smoked barbecue mayo.
Ingredients
Candied Bacon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 pk thick sliced bacon bacon
Fried Onion Strings
- 2 cups flour
- 2 large onions cut into small strips
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Sprinkle of salt, pepper and cayenne
- 2 cups canola oil
Burger
- 7 oz ground angus beef
- 3 oz sharp cheddar
Barbecue Mayo
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup applewood smoked barbecue sauce or favorite
Instructions
Candied Bacon
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place bacon on hot grill to get grill lines (no need to flip)
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Remove bacon from grill and brush with maple syrup and coat with brown sugar
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Reduce heat to medium/low and place in a disposable tin grill pan. Cook, flipping occasionally until browned and chewy. Do not let it burn.
Onion Strings
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In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil to 375F, while preparing onions
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Slice onions in half, peel the outer layer and discard, then slice into thin strips
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Place flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a bowl. And buttermilk in another bowl.
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Toss onions in buttermilk then dredge in flour mixture
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Drop into hot oil. Stir when you first put them in so they don't stick. This took about 3 batches. You don't want to overcrowd them or they won't crisp up
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Use a slotted spoon, take out and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then try not to eat them all before the burger is ready!
Burger
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Split ground beef in half and make 2 patties
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Place cheese directly in center of one patty then top with the other and seal
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Place on a flat griddle or pan over medium to medium/high heat and cook until you get a browned crust. I used tongs and browned the sides as well because it's so thick.
Barbecue Mayo
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Mix your favorite barbecue sauce with mayonnaise
Toast a brioche bun, place burger on bottom bun, top with onion strings and bacon, spread your mayo on the top bun and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
One onion is enough to top the burger, but you're gonna eat them, so make more than you think!
Check out these links to all the other incredibly talented, burger-lovin bloggers that participated this year!
A Day in the Life on the Farm | A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures | A Southern Fairytale | Adventures of Frugal Mom | An Affair from the Heart | AVL Foodie | Bread Booze Bacon | Brocavore | Butcher Betties | Cluttercafe | Comfortably Domestic | Cookie Named Desire | Courtney’s Sweets | Culinary Adventures with Camilla | Eating Richly | Everyday Southwest | Family Around the Table | Family Food on the Table | Fearless Dining | Food Above Gold | Gimme Some Grilling | Girl Abroad | Grilling Montana | Grumpy’s Honeybunch | Hall Nesting | HORNS BBQ | Jolene’s Recipe Journal | Kecia’s Flavor Breakthrough | Kudos Kitchen by Renee | Life of a Ginger | Love and Confections | Mildly Meandering | Miss in the Kitchen | Moore or Less Cooking | My World Simplified | Palatable Pastime | Pastry Chef Online Pook’s Pantry | RDelicious Kitchen | Sailrockland | Sarah’s Cucina Bella | Seduction In The Kitchen | Sumptuous Spoonfuls | Sweet ReciPEAs | Tampa Cake Girl | The Beard and The Baker | The Complete Savorist | The Crumby Kitchen | The Farmstand Market | The Farmstand Market | The Redhead Baker | The Schmidty Wife | The Spiffy Cookie | The Suburban Soapbox | Thyme for Cocktails | Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen | Wok & Skillet
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I receive a small payment if you make a purchase through this link. Thank you for supporting my coffee habit!
Christie says
You had me at onion strings! I LOVE onion strings and rings over fries any day of the week. And candied bacon oh how I love thee!
Lisa says
Me too! I’d totally rather have onion rings or strings. I could eat those things right out of the can, but home made? Drool. And candied bacon? Don’t even get me started!!!!
Shelby says
Gracious, that candied bacon and those onion strings added to your burger must have been incredible! This is one burger I would love to have on my plate!!
Lisa says
Thanks Shelby! That candied bacon is crazy good! It’s almost scary how quick and easy those onion strings are to make too!