Chuck-wagon Chuck’s “Honey of a Texas BBQ Grilled Ham & Cheese Burger”

I created this recipe for the “Honey’s” in my life, my wife of 49 years, 2 daughters, and 3 granddaughters, basically because I didn’t have enough hamburger meat for all of them, I improvised.

Ingredients:

Ingredients
BBQ Grilled Ham & Cheese

12 slices Oscar Mayer Honey Ham
12 slices American cheese

Texas BBQ Patties

1 1/2 pounds ground Chuck 73/27
1 cup Cattlemen’s Golden Honey BBQ Sauce, divided
1/4 cup Sutter Home Merlot
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, or to your personal taste
1 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, or to your personal taste
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea or Kosher salt, or to your personal taste
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper, or to your personal taste
6 slices of hardwood smoked bacon, cut in half, Applewood preferred
Vegetable oil for brushing on the patties

The Rest of the Burger

6 seeded hamburger buns
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
12 tablespoons fresh ripe Avocado, mashed
12 leafs Iceberg lettuce, cut slightly than the buns and divided
18–24 hamburger dill pickle slices, to your preference
6 thin slices of red onions
6 thin slices red ripe tomatoes, lightly salt and peppered

Instructions:

Directions
Preheat a gas grill with a side burner to medium high.

Place the ham slices in a medium sized bowl with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Set aside until needed.

In a large mixing bowl gently blend together the ground Chuck, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, Sutter home Merlot, the garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Gently form 6 1/4-pound patties slightly larger than the buns. Place on the grill for 3-4 minutes, close the lid, then make a 1/4 turn on the patties. Flip the patties and lightly baste the patties with the BBQ sauce. Grill another 3-4 minutes make another 1/4 turn on the patties. Flip the patties and lightly baste with some more BBQ sauce. Grill 2 minutes and flip to grill another 2 minutes or to your preferred doneness. Remove to rest.

While the burgers are grilling place a large (12-inch) skillet on the side burner, add the bacon, and cook crisp. Set aside to drain.

With 4 minutes remaining on the burgers, gently tap off some of the BBQ sauce from the ham slices and place on a non-stick grill grid or grill topper. Grill 2 minutes, flip the ham slices, add a cheese slice on each, and grill another 2 minutes. Set aside.

Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce with the butter and spread equally on the bun insides. Place the buns on the grill to toast a light golden brown. Remove and spread the Avocado evenly on the insides of the buns. Add a lettuce leaf, on the bun bottom, 3 or more pickle slices. Next add 2 slices of bacon side by side, a grilled Honey Ham slice with the cheese up, top with a Honey BBQ burger patty, another Honey Ham cheese slice (cheese side down), an onion slice, a seasoned tomato slice, another slice of lettuce. Cover with the bun top and serve with Texas Pride.

This recipe makes 6 burgers.