North America: America’s Best Burger Ever
Burger Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- 1 lb. ground round
- 2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tbsp. garlic salt
- 8 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
- 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 medium Vidalia onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 bottle of sweet barbecue sauce (of your choice)
- Hamburger buns
- Lettuce (optional)
- Tomato (optional)
- 1/2 cup Onions
- 1/4 cup Barbecue sauce for basting
Winner Allison Koplan and Chef Emeril Lasasse
- Combine ground round, ground chuck, salt and pepper in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the coarsely shredded sharp cheddar and cooked bacon pieces. Let bacon and cheese mixture sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to get soft. Then, shape mixture into balls (for however many burgers you would like to make)
- Form 2 patties of meat and place one cheese/bacon ball in between them. Pinch the sides together to seal in cheese ball. Gently press formed patty, to spread out cheese ball. Continue until all patties are formed
- Cook burgers on grill over medium flame for about 7 minutes on each side. While burgers are grilling, slice sweet Vidalia onions and saute them in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter. Once onions become translucent (about 4 minutes), add some sweet barbecue sauce
- Flip burgers, and baste the cooked side of the patties with the same sweet barbecue sauce used in the onions. After about 7 minutes longer, the burger should be done (these are big thick burgers and may take longer to grill to your liking). Baste again with sweet barbecue sauce before removing from grill. Butter hamburger buns and place on top rack of grill for several minutes, until toasted
- To build burger, take toasted bun, add patty, and top with smothered barbecue onions. You can add tomato or lettuce, if you’d like, but the flavors are great without them