The Perfect Burger...

On any given night, restaurants everywhere are serving up the perfect burger on their bar menus. What makes a delicious burger?

For me I like my burger cooked medium, still pink in the middle with all its juicy glory dripping when you take the first bite. Sometime I like the classic condiments, ketchup, mustard, tomato and lettuce on a grilled, buttered bun and other times, I like something different to top my burger.

Last night was burger night for Phil and I. Since I had some blue cheese left in the fridge, I decided to do a bacon, blue cheese burger with a honey, mustard barbecue sauce.

Here is my recipe for blue cheese burgers......

Yields 2 1/2lb burgers
For the burgers
1lb organic ground beef
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

For the sauce
1/4 cup hickory barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon orange marmalade

To finish the burgers
2 brioche buns, slice open and brushed with melted butter
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
6 slices of bacon, cooked and brushed with maple syrup

Preheat a grill pan on the stove top or preheat grill outside. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, sauce, salt and pepper. Gently combine as to not over work the meat. Divide into meat into two and shape patties in your hand. Place on preheated grill pan. While burgers are cooking, place buns, butter side down on the pan and toast. Burgers should cook about 5-7 minutes on each side. Test the temp by pressing the middle, if it springs back a bit, the inside is still pink and medium, which is perfect. Never insert a thermometer in a burger, this will make juices run out and dry out the burger. Remove burgers and buns from the heat.
Build the burgers by brushing each bun with the barbecue sauce, then the burger, the blue cheese, the bacon, a drizzle more of sauce and then the top of the bun. You can serve it like I did with a fresh green salad or with your favorite side. Enjoy!