American Summer Burger

The cheeseburger is the all American staple for the summertime. This burger captures the perfect combination of flavors that make up the classic cheeseburger, but with a little flavor twist. Starting with earthy undertones of mushrooms, heat infused smoked bacon, the subtle rise of heat in the pattie, with the fresh zing crunch of the slaw, all wrapped together in the American Summer burger.

Ingredients

Pattie

1 1/2 lb. Ground Chuck Beef

1/2 lb. Ground Pork

1/2 lb Baby Bella Mushrooms, diced

1/4 cup Honey Pecan Wood Smoked Flavored BBQ Sauce

1 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pepper

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

8 slices Pepper Jack cheese

Slaw

1 Bag Broccoli Slaw

1 package Fresh Success Coleslaw Vinegar Mix (don't add mayonnaise)

Bacon Jam

1 lb. smoked bacon

¼ cup brown sugar

½ sweet onion

½ jalapeno

Directions

1. Prepare slaw by pouring the bag, which consists of shredded broccoli, carrots and cabbage, in a large mixing bowl. Stir in vinegar. Cover and chill for an hour.

2. Prepare Jalapeno Bacon Jam. Pre-cut and measure the ingredients for easy assembly. Chop the smoked bacon and set aside, measure the brown sugar and place in a small bowl, dice the jalapeno, removing all the seeds. Dice the onions.

3. Fry the bacon over medium heat. Do not over cook. Drain on a paper towel.

4. Saute onions over medium heat until translucent.

5. Lower heat and add jalapeno, bacon and brown sugar. Stir until brown sugar is melted.

6. Remove from heat and place in a serving dish.

7. It's pattie preparing time! In a large mixing bowl, mix beef, pork, salt, pepper, chili powder, bread crumbs and BBQ sauce. In a small dish, break the eggs, stir and then add them into the big bowl of ingredients. Rinse the mushrooms, dice and add them to the large bowl. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients together to blend flavors.

8. Cover the tray with aluminum foil or parchment. Apply cooking spray to not stick. Scoop the pattie mixture into a burger press or form about ½ cup of mixture by hand. Place the pattie on the trays in the fridge for at least an hour for the patties to set firm.

9. Preheat your grill (or flat iron or frying pan). Grill the patties to your preference. Once the patties have been flipped, and they are close to being done, place the desired pepper jack cheese slice on top of the pattie until the cheese is melted.

10. To assemble, open the bun and place a scoop of slaw on the bottom bun, then the pattie. Top this with the jalapeno bacon jam, ketchup and mustard if you choose.

Enjoy!