Smoked Gouda And Bacon Burgers With Barbecue Sauce

Gluttony!  This burger was a study in wretched excess.  It was pretty good, but you felt a little sick afterwards.  I didn't make my patty a half pound, but the boys did.  We also sliced our own bread, and made it a bit thick.  It seemed needed for all the wet toppings.  Also, I only found sliced smoked Gouda, and I only used one slice.  The cheese was totally lost on the burger.  We enjoyed the flavor but none of us could finish our burger.  We also were really sluggish afterwards.  I'm not trying to dissuade you, just forewarn you, that this is not for the faint of heart, stomach or cholesterol!  It was fast and easy, but then most burgers are.  The number one thing to keep in mind is to use a good quality sweet barbecue sauce.  The sauce is a big part of the burger.  (If you follow the link to the original recipe, you will see it was designed for a barbecue restaurant)  Another important point to keep in mind it that if you want to taste the cheese, go nuts with it, otherwise, you might as well leave it off.  If you do decide to try this, may the force be with you stomach!


Smoked Gouda And Bacon Burgers With Barbecue Sauce

2 T  vegetable oil
1    one pound onion,halved and thinly sliced
Salt
1/4 c  Frank’s RedHot or other hot sauce
1/4 c  beef broth
6 T  unsalted butter,softened
Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of firm white bread
8 sl of thick-cut bacon
2 lb ground beef chuck (20 percent fat),formed into 4 patties the s
3    ounces smoked Gouda shredded (1 cup)
1/4 c  Sweet Barbecue Sauce
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion
and a pinch of salt, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the
onion is crisp-tender and just turning translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in
the hot sauce and beef broth and remove from the heat. Season with salt.
2. Heat a large griddle. Spread the butter on 1 side of each bread
slice and griddle buttered side down over moderate heat until toasted,
about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasts to a plate. Add the bacon to the
griddle and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes per
side; drain on paper towels. Wipe off the griddle.
3. Season the beef patties with salt and cook on the griddle over
moderately high heat until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Top
each burger with 1/4 cup of smoked Gouda and cook until the cheese
melts, 1 minute.
4. Set the burgers on the unbuttered sides of 4 toasts. Top with the
bacon, onion and Sweet Barbecue Sauce. Close the burgers and serve,
passing more barbecue sauce at the table.