- 8 slices raw smoked bacon
- 1 lb. high-quality ground beef
- 4-5 T. crumbled bleu cheese
- 2 T. mayonnaise
- 2 T. sour cream
- 2 T. mustard -- choose your favorite variety
- 4 buns, toasted
Using a small, shallow, round plastic container (choose one having similar dimensions to your desired burger shape), place 2 strips of bacon crosswise in the bottom of the container, allowing the edges to overflow the container evenly, forming an "X" shape. Separate the ground beef into 4 equal sections and press one of the sections into the container over the bacon X. Press the center of the ground meat to form a divot and add about a tablespoon of crumbled bleu cheese to the divot. Carefully press the ground beef to form a patty over the top of the cheese. Grab the edges of the bacon strips that overflowed the container and bring them together on top of the patty to form another "X". Press the patty gently and turn the plastic container over. If necessary, gently tap the container to loosen the patty and set it on a plate.
Repeat this process until you have 4 patties formed. At this point, you can refrigerate the patties for up to 24 hours before cooking.
You can grill or broil these patties, but I opted to cook them on my indoor electric grill over medium-high heat for 6 minutes per side. That resulted in a medium-rare burger. If you prefer a more well-done burger, add 2-4 minutes of cooking time per side. Do not scorch the bacon.
While the burgers are cooking, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard to form a sauce. Toast the buns and slather 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce on the buns before adding a hot burger to them. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 4 burgers
- Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes