Bacon & Goat cheese burger with Smoky Tomato & Sweet Corn Relish

One of my favorite flavor combinations is tomato with smoked paprika.One day I was eating a burger with pan-fried tomatoes seasoned with smoked paprika with an ear of grilled corn on the side, and thought, wow, what a great combination. My smoky tomato and sweet corn relish was born. It turned out to be a fantastic burger topping. I then added bacon for a little more smokiness, goat cheese for creaminess, and basil garlic mayo for freshness and my burger was complete.

Ingredients:

Basil Garlic Mayo:
1 cup Mayonaise
1 minced garlic clove
½ cup fresh chopped basil

12 slices of thick cut bacon

Smoky Tomato & Sweet Corn relish:
2 ears of sweet corn husked and silks removed
12 oz Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Patties
1/4 cup cabernet savignon
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground chuck 20% fat

Vegetable oil for preparing the grill

6 oz goat cheese
6 Kaiser Rolls Split

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to medium high heat.

To make the basil garlic mayo, mix mayo, minced garlic, and chopped basil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble burgers.

Cook the bacon in a fire-proof skillet on the grill over medium-high heat until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Set aside.

To make relish, Place corn ears on the grill. Turning every few minutes until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle and cut the corn off the cob. Drain the excess bacon grease out of the fireproof skillet leaving just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and add tomatoes to skillet, stirring occasionally, until they begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add butter, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and corn to skillet. Crush tomatoes slightly to release juices, stir 4 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside. Cover with a foil tent to keep warm.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil.

To make the patties, whisk together sutter home cabernet savignon, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Add ground chuck, mix well, handling the meat as little as possible to prevent it from becoming too dense. Form the meat into 6 equal patties.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack and cook until done preference 3-5 minutes. Flip the patties and cook another 3-5 minutes. Top the patties with 1 oz of goat cheese, cover the grill and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove the patties from the grill and place under a foil tent to keep warm. Place the rolls cut sides down on the outside of the grill rack to toast slightly.

To assemble bugers, place about 1 tablespoon of the basil mayo on the cut sides of the bread. On each bottom roll place the cheese-topped burger patty, 2 slices of bacon, 2 tablespoons of tomato relish and top roll.