HOT TOPPINGS FOR YOUR GRILLED BURGER

I love a perfectly grilled (medium-rare for me) hamburger. The traditional ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce and tomato toppings while delicious become slightly mundane. Restaurants around the country are playing with burger toppings. They are also mixing up the meat that makes up the burger. Some beef only, some beef and pork, some with beef and sausage..not to mention the turkey, fish and veggie burgers...but those are for another blog OR NOT!

These three burgers come from three great chefs and I love all of them. My favorite is the blackened burger with grilled onion salad and pico de gallo....love as the juices drip down the sides of my mouth...YES!

SUNNY SIDE BURGER
Cook and drain some applewood smoked bacon. Keep warm
Make a great sauce of mayo with a bit of ketchup, rice vinegar, maple syrup and a bit of salt.
While you grill your ground sirloin burger, cook a fried egg. When you flip your burger, add the bacon, fried egg and American cheese. When the cheese melts, put the burger on the bottom of the bun. Top with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Spread sauce on the top of the bun and add to the big burger. Let rest for a minute and EAT!

SMOKY-SWEET BACON BURGER
Cook some bacon, drain and keep warm
Peel, core and grate a granny smith apple, pat out the excess water. Add a bit of lemon zest, lemon juice, mayo, maple syrup, thin sliced celery and crumbled bleu cheese.
Cook your burger.
On the bottom of the bun layer a piece of lettuce, add burger, then bacon and the apple slaw...add the top of the bun....Love this... SO different and refreshing!

BLACKENED BURGER WITH GRILLED ONION SALAD AND PICO DE GALLO
Brush slices of red onion with olive oil and grill both sides. Mix some olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sat and pepper and brush over the grilled onions and keep warm. Grill your burger (spice it up with a mix of ground beef and minced sausage mix) . Place onion salad on the bottom of the bun, add burger and top with your favorite pico de gallo and add the top of the bun. This is fabulous. I could eat a bowl of the onion salad by itself...so good.

So next bbq...kick it up a bit!
ENJOY!