Bacon Bella Burger with Avoli Smear
For the past 41 years I’ve enjoyed cooking almost daily.Burgers have always been a staple in my household and while a straight up grilled burger is hard to beat, my quest has always been to find that better burger. This one is loaded with flavor, stays juicy and makes a great pool party burger
Ingredients:
Patties
2 pounds fresh ground chuck
½ cup cooked bacon, crumpled
½ cup portabella mushrooms, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced/crushed
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 slices muenster cheese 1/8″+ thick
6 kaiser buns, split
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 romaine leaf pieces, split in half
12 thin sliced tomatoes
Avoli Smear
1 Haas avocado (large), ripe
¼ cup feta cheese, crumpled
½ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, diced
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions:
Prepare a medium-hot grill.
Prepare the patties by combining the ground chuck, bacon, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil without over working mix. Chill mixture prior to separating into 6 equal portions and forming into 5 inch patties. Set aside 10-15 minutes for grilling.
In a blender or food processor combine the avocado, feta cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, basil, pepper and lime juice. Blend until completely smooth and transfer into a bowl or squeeze bottle.
Dress the medium-hot grill with olive oil (using tongs and paper towels to coat the rack.) Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Flip patties and cook for 2 minutes then top with cheese slices, cover and finish grilling to your preference ( 2 to 3 more minutes for medium, or 160 on a meat thermometer). At burger flipping time, brush buns with olive oil, and grill them until they are lightly toasted.
Assemble the burgers by spreading a generous amount of the Avoli Smear on both sides of the grilled buns. Top each bun bottom with romaine lettuce, patty, tomato slices and bun top. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.