Every week following an away game, THN will be running recipes in place of the Pig Pen. Our tailgate chef Scott Coward will not only give you great recipes but in a format centered around the tailgating experience. Join us at Fed Ex every week and bring your version of our recipe to the tailgate! Here's this week's recipe.
You will need:
1 pound ground beef
8 slices thick cut bacon
4 slices of thick cheddar cheese
8 ounces of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 Kaiser Rolls, split
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper
Fresh Veggies - Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles, etc.
At Home
On the day before the big game, we need to do a tiny bit of prep work. First, place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Smash the clove of garlic, peel, and mince. Throw it in with the beef. Next add the 2 tbsp of Worcestershire, and about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Then add salt and pepper (fresh ground pepper adds the best flavor) to preference. Now get down and dirty with it and start mixing it together with your fingers. Once combined, separate into four 1/4 pound sections. Place 4 sheets of plastic wrap on the counter, and press the burgers into shape. Remember to press it thin so it won't turn into a giant meatball on the grill. Wrap those and throw em in the icebox. You can leave them in the fridge for a couple days, but should be frozen for any period longer than that.
Now we need to precook the bacon. Although this can be done solely on the grill, it is easier to deal with the drippings the day before. In a large skillet over medium heat, start browning the bacon. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way, we'll finish it off on the grill. Once browned, remove from the heat, and lay it on a napkin to absorb any excess grease. Bag it up in a zip bag, and it's ready for the game. This would also be a good time to prep any veggies that you want to top the burgers with. I like to prep my lettuce, slice the tomato and onion at home, and place in containers ready for use.
Game Day
Alright. This is it. Showtime. Fire up the grill, crack open a cold beer, and get ready. I usually burn my grill grate off before cooking, then give it a good brushing. As a rule of thumb, to cook burgers, the grill should be set at about medium heat. Once the grill is ready, you can just toss the burgers on and let em sit for about 4-5 minutes a side. Being that we have the olive oil already mixed in with the burger, there shouldn't be any problem with the meat sticking to the grill. I like my burgers at about a medium temperature. The FDA says you should cook it to at least medium-well. I'll leave that call up to you. With about 2 minutes to go, throw the bacon on the grill to finish it off. Also, if you prefer toasted buns, now is the time to do that as well. Place both sides face down on the grill for about 45 seconds. Place 2 strips of bacon on each burger and top with a slice of cheese. Close the cover on the grill for about 1 minute, to melt the cheese. In that time, go ahead and put whatever condiments and veggies you like on the bun. Put the burgers on the bun, and top with a tiny bit of the BBQ sauce. And there you have it, Burgundy (BBQ sauce) & Gold (cheddar) burgers. Enjoy!
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