The Ultimate Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger Food

THE ULTIMATE BACON CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• Put the bacon in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Cook just until the fat is rendered out, 5 to 7 minutes. (The bacon should not brown at all.) Remove the bacon from the pan and place in the bowl of a small food processor. There should be about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat that has collected in the pan.
• Place the buns into the warm bacon fat, cut-side down. Toast the buns they are until golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Set aside for burger assembly.
• Pulse the par-cooked bacon in the food processor until it is coarsely ground, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the bacon to a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use your hand to gently work the bacon and seasonings into the ground beef. Divide the meat into 4 portions (6 to 7 ounces each). Loosely pack the meat into 4 thick patties, using your thumb to create a shallow dimple in the center of each. Sprinkle the outside of each patty with salt and pepper as desired.
• Preheat the grill and generously oil the grill grates. Place the patties on the grill and cook to the desired degree of doneness, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Top each patty with a slice of American cheese and cover the grill to allow the cheese to melt, 30 seconds.
• Assemble the burgers and top with ranch, lettuce, tomato slices and red onion. Serve immediately.

THE BEST BACON CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish and vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.
• Working in batches if necessary, add the bacon to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook, flipping halfway through, until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a nonstick baking sheet. Discard the bacon fat (or save for another use) and wipe the skillet clean but do not wash. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes.
• Add the buns split-side up to the baking sheet with the bacon and bake until the buns are toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Loosely form the beef into 4 balls. Add one ball of beef to the skillet and press firmly to flatten with a large flat metal spatula for 10 seconds, then gently remove the spatula. Sprinkle the patty generously with salt; repeat with the remaining beef balls, cooking in batches if necessary. Let cook, undisturbed, until well browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the patties, sprinkle with more salt and top each with a slice of Cheddar. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted around the edges and the bottoms are browned, about 2 more minutes.
• Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bun tops. Serve the patties on the bottom buns topped with the bacon, onion, tomato and lettuce.

MUSHROOM CHEESEBURGERS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup water, the vinegar, sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Combine the cucumbers and carrots in a bowl; pour in the hot liquid and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Combine the ground beef and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined. Form into four 1-inch-thick patties; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the burgers and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side; top with the cheese and cover during the last 1 minute.
• Meanwhile, mix the ketchup with the remaining 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; spread on the bottom buns. Serve the burgers on the buns; top with the mushrooms. Drain the pickles and serve on the side.

THE ULTIMATE BACON-MUSHROOM CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bacon and set aside on paper towels to drain. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan and add the olive oil.Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Clean the caps with a moist paper towel and, using a small spoon, scrape out the black gills from inside the caps. Generously brush both sides of the mushrooms with the bacon fat and oil mixture. Season with pepper.Gently shape the ground chuck into four burgers of equal size and thickness (about 3/4 inch thick), and season both sides with salt and pepper.Grill the mushrooms and burgers over Direct Medium heat until the mushrooms are tender and juicy and the burgers reach an internal temperature of 160°F. for medium, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Top each burger with a slice of the cheese during the last minute or two of grilling time and allow the cheese to melt. During the last 30 seconds, grill the buns over Direct Medium heat until lightly toasted. Spread the mustard on the toasted buns.Serve the cheeseburgers hot on the buns, topped with a slice of bacon, a mushroom cap, and a lettuce leaf.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.