Beer-Braised Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers

One of the bright spots in our life lately is that our niece has come to live with us. Her mother passed away recently and we were happy to have her come stay with us. It's been quiet since our oldest son has gone away to college so it's been nice to fill the house with some teen-age noise again. :-)

To celebrate I fixed a traditional meal of Burgers and Fries. Dh was thrilled because I used real potatoes and actually deep fried them. Usually I go the healthier route and bake them but I figured "In for a penny, in for a pound" and selected Rachael Ray's recipe for Beer-Braised Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers. Bacon, cheddar cheese, more bacon, sour cream, real French fries. What's not to love? These burgers were delicious. The burgers were juicy thanks to the finely diced onions and the bacon imparted a nice hint of smokiness. The Horseradish-Mustard sauce complemented it perfectly.

These burgers will surely make regular appearances around here this summer but next time, I'm thinking the fries will be baked in the oven instead. ;-)


Beer-Braised Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers
Recipe from The Rachael Ray Show

1 tablespoon EVOO
10 slices smoky bacon, 2 of them chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound ground chick
3/4 pound ground sirloin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
A few hearty glugs of stout beer, such as Guinness (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
4 slices aged white cheddar cheese
4 lettuce leaves
4 Kaiser Rolls, split
1 red onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Place a large skillet over medium heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. While the pan is still cold, add the chopped bacon. Cook the bacon as the pan heats up until crispy and golden brown, 7-8 minutes.

When the bacon is crispy, add in the onion and continue cooking until tender, 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and let cool. Reserve the pan drippings.

While the bacon and onion are cooling, lay the other 8 slices of bacon out onto a broiler pan and transfer to the oven. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes.

Return the skillet with the pan drippings over medium heat. While it heats up, add the ground meats to the mixing bowl with the bacon and onion, add the Worcestershire and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Combine the mixture with your hands and divide it into four patties.

Add the patties to the skillet and cook until golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side. When you flip the burgers, lay a slice of cheese on each patty to melt. In the last minute of cooking, add the Guinness to the pan and cook until almost completely reduced and slightly thickened.

While the burgers cook, stir together the sour cream, horseradish and mustard in a small bowl. Assemble the burgers by laying down some lettuce and red onion on each roll, then the patties, 2 strips of bacon and a dollop of horseradish sauce.