By Mike Thayer

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers? HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger. For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there. The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more! There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 7, it's breakfast for lunch!  This burger puts some beef into the morning meal and kicks the typical breakfast sandwich up a couple notches!  The great thing about this burger, is it's an excellent use of leftover burgers from last night's dinner.   And there's just something a little extra special with that golden yoke from the over easy egg running down the side of the sandwich....

The Breakfast Burger

Ingredients:

• One 1/4 pound beef patty
• One 1/4 pork sausage patty
• One slice of American cheese
• One slice of Cheddar cheese
• 3 slices of bacon
• One egg, over easy
• 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon of all purpose seasoning
• Artisan Hamburger buns, or an English muffin as a substitute
• A few tabs of butter and a bit of garlic to toast the buns/muffins
• Black pepper to taste

Directions:
Fire up a large skillet over medium heat and start frying the bacon and the sausage patty if you don't have any leftover.  Once that bacon fat starts to render, warm up the hamburger patty, the melt a slice of American cheese on it.  Melt a slice of Cheddar cheese on the sausage patty.  Once the bacon is crisp, drain on a paper towel, set aside.  Taking advantage of the bacon fat, fry up the egg, over easy, hitting it with a dash of black pepper.  In a separate pan, melt the butter, garlic and toast the buns.  Create an aoili with the mayonnaise and all purpose seasoning and spread on the buns.  Assemble the burger with the sausage patty, beef patty, the egg and bacon .  Enjoy!  

This burger cost about $2.95 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that breakfast sandwich deliciousness!

Read up on the other great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California," "Mexican," "Garlic Chicken Curry," "French Dip" and more, it's the Bachelor on the Cheap Burger Challenge!

www.grillinggoodeats.com

 

 

By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 5, it's lunch in India!  This burger features a mixture of ground chicken, garlic and curry.   Add in a garlic/curry/ginger aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion and cucumbers (nope, not pickles) and this burger delivers some excellent international flare!    

The Garlic Chicken Curry Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground chicken
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 Tablespoon steak sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• One egg, lightly beaten
• Garlic/curry/ginger 'aioli'
• Hamburger buns, sesame is the choice here
• Sliced tomato (optional)
• Sliced onion (optional)
• Lettuce (optional)
• Sliced cucumber (optional)
• A few tabs of butter and a bit of garlic to toast the buns
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken and all seasonings on the list down to the egg and yes, include the egg.  Mix until incorporated and refrigerate for at least one hour to let all those flavors marry.  After chilled, form the patties and grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.    Toast the buns with garlic butter, then assemble the burgers with the aioli, salt/pepper to taste and other toppings as desired.  Enjoy!  

For the aioli:  Mix together two heaping tablespoons of mayonaise, and healthy dashes of garlic powder, curry powder and powdered ginger.  Set aside for dressing the buns.

This burger cost only about $2.00 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that garlic and curry deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California," "Mexican," "Garlic Chicken Curry" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

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By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 5, it's lunch in Mexico!  This burger features a mixture of ground beef and Mexican chorizo, which provides for a little heat.  Topped with a little salsa and guacamole, this takes taco flavors up to a whole new level!   

The Mexican Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground beef
• 9 ounces of chorizo
• One teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• Pepper Jack cheese slices
• Enough salsa to top burgers with
• Guacamole
• Hamburger buns
• 3 slices of fresh avacado
• Sliced tomato (optional)
• Sliced onion (optional)
• Lettuce
• A few tabs of butter and a bit of garlic to toast the buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chorizo and fresh black pepper.  Once incorporated, form the patties. Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  Once the burgers are done to your liking, top with the pepper jack cheese, put the patties over indirect heat and lid the grill.  Toast the buns with garlic butter, then assemble the burgers with the guacamole and salsa.  Enjoy!  

TIP: When making your own burgers, use a ground beef with a higher fat content, like 80/20. The leaner grinds don’t measure up when it comes to juiciness and flavor and are better suited for foods other than burgers. Use the leaner grinds for skillet dishes and casseroles, too lean is too dry for a good burger. 

This burger cost only about $2.25 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that guacamole and salsa deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California," "Mexican" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

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By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 4, it's dinner in California!  This burger features avacado and bacon jam!  I've never had bacon jam before and after tasting it, I was like, "Where have you been all my life?"  As Guy Fieri might say, you could put that stuff on a flip-flop and it would taste good.  

The California Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground beef
• One Tablespoon seasoning salt
• One teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
• Cheddar cheese slices (white or regular)
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• One Tablespoon minced garlic
• One heaping Tablespoon brown sugar
• A healthy splash of apple cider vinegar
• A splash of chicken stock
• Hamburger buns
• 3 slices of fresh avacado
• Sliced tomato
• Lettuce
• A few tabs of butter and a bit of garlic to toast the buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, seasoning salt, Thousand Island dressing and fresh black pepper.  Once incorporated, form the patties. Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  While the burgers are on the grill getting happy, put together the bacon jam.  Toast the buns with garlic butter, melt the cheese on the patty, then assemble the burgers with that FANTASTIC onion bacon jam, avacado, the rest of the toppings and enjoy!  

For the Onion Bacon Jam:  Fry up the bacon over medium low heat.  Once the bacon is brown but not yet crisp, reserve 3 slices for the burger, drain excess fat and chop up the remaining bacon.  Add the onion and garlic.  Once the onions are translucent, add the brown sugar, the splashes of vinegar and chicken stock.  Let that simmer, stirring occasionally until things get thick and 'jammy.' 

TIP:  Ground meats should be cold when putting on the grill. If patties are at room temperature, they tend to fall apart or droop through the cooking grate. As I make patties, I like to stack them with plastic wrap between each patty and put them in the freezer for about an hour before grilling.  

This burger cost only about $2.85 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that bacon jam deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean," "California" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

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By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 4, it's lunch in the Mediterranean!  This burger features ground lamb and melds together all the classic flavors of the Mediterranean.  There's feta cheese, hummus, Kalamata olives and more in this great burger.   It was another dose of YUM!

The Mediterranean Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound of ground lamb
• One Tablespoon of Herbs de Provence
• One teaspoon oregano
• 3 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
• A pinch of table salt
• A few grinds of fresh ground black pepper
• Hamburger buns, sesame seed or kaiser
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced cucumber
• Sliced red onion
• Lettuce
• Ready made hummus
• Kalamata olive spread
• A few tabs of butter to toast the buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground lamb, Herbs de Provence, oregano, feta cheese, salt and pepper until incorporated.  Do not overmix.  Form mixture into patties.  Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  While the burgers are on the grill getting happy, put together the Kalamata olive spread and slice your veggie toppings.  Toast the buns in butter and then dress the bottom bun with the hummus and the top bun with the olive spread.  Assemble the burgers and enjoy!  

For the Kalamata olive spread:  In a blender or food processor mix together 1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of dill, a generous pinch of parsley some fresh ground black pepper and about 2 Tablespoons of good olive oil (add slowly). 

This burger cost only about $3.00 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that Mediterranean deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun," "Mediterranean" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 3, it's Cajun for dinner!   I lived in the Pelican state for about a year while in the military and never really did come to appreciate Cajun cooking, but I do now!  This burger takes everything that is classic Cajun and delivers it in a big flavor fashion!   It's a pork sausage and Andouille sausage patty kissed with some Cajun spice, there's a slice of melted muenster cheese and it's served on a garlic toasted bun dressed with a Cajun spice remoulade.   It was another dose of YUM!

The Cajun Burger

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces ground pork sausage
• 9 ounces of Andouille sausage
• One Tablespoon ground cumin
• One Tablespoon garlic powder
• One Tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
• Muenster cheese slices
• 1/4 stick of butter
• Another dash of garlic powder to make garlic butter

    For the Remoulade:

• Equal parts mayo, mustard, ketchup, Louisiana Hot Sauce, lemon juice, dried parsley flake, garlic powder and cayenne pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground pork and Andouille along with all the spices (ground cumin through herbs de provence) until well incorporated.  Once incorporated, start forming your patties.  Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  Move to indirect heat and top with a slice of muenster cheese.  While the burgers are on the grill getting happy, mix together the remoulade.  While the cheese on the burgers is melting, melt some butter and garlic powder together in a small grill safe bowl to dress the buns with.  Assemble the burgers and enjoy!   These burgers pack a little heat, but it's DELICIOUS heat!

This burger cost only about $2.25 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the "Classic," "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving," "Cajun" and more, it's the Burger Challenge!

By Mike Thayer 

Can a person get tired of eating just burgers?  HECK NO!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 3, it's Thanksgiving for lunch!   This is another stuffed burger recipe, a plate of Thanksgiving Day goodness all in one bite!  The toasted bun was dressed with a brown butter & cranberry jelly, the turkey burger was seasoned with my signature rub and stuffed with loaded mashed potatoes and gravy and the green beans were Tempura battered and fried. It was another dose of YUM!

The Thanksgiving Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound ground turkey
• One Tablespoon seasoning salt or your favorite rub
• A couple spoonfuls of mashed potatoes
• A couple spoonfuls of turkey or chicken gravy
• A handful of fresh green beans
• 1/2 cup Tempura batter flour or rice flour
  
• 1/2 cup ice cold water 
• One egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 stick of butter
• A couple heaping tablespoons of canned cranberry, jellied
• Hamburger buns, lightly toasted
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey and seasoning salt until well incorporated.  Once incorporated, start forming your patties, creating a well in the bottom patty half for the potatoes and gravy.  Place some mashed potato on the bottom patties, then hit them with the gravy, salt and pepper to taste.   Top the burgers with the lid patty and seal by pinching the burger edges together. Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  Move to indirect heat and top with some more of that gravy is desired.  While the burgers are on the grill getting happy, heat up a skillet over medium high heat and warm up that canola oil.  In a small bowl mix together the flour, ice cold water and beaten egg.   Toss in the green beans and stir lightly until covered in the batter.  Immediately put those battered beans into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and delicious.  In a separate pan, melt the butter and jellied cranberry over low heat, then brush onto the hamburger buns.  Assemble the burgers and enjoy!   Makes two stuffed burgers and they're Thanksgiving Day plate awesome!

This burger cost only about $2.60 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the classic, "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza," "Thanksgiving" and more, it's Burger Challenge Week!

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By Mike Thayer 

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 2, it's a 'pizza' burger for dinner!   The combination of burger and pizza, how can this NOT be good right? 

This is a stuffed burger and my favorite pizza toppings are pepperoni and mushrooms, so that's what I'm stuffing this burger with along with sauce and mozzarella cheese.   That's what I love about stuffed burgers, the choices of what to put in your burger are almost endless! 

The Pizza Burger

Ingredients:

• One pound ground beef
• One Tablespoon seasoning salt
• 2 ounces of pepperoni slices
• 4 ounces of pizza sauce
• 2 ounces of sliced mushrooms
• Parmesan cheese to taste
  
• One teaspoon dried oregano
• Mozzarella cheese slices
• ½ stick of butter
• Garlic powder to taste
• Hamburger buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, seasoning salt and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Once incorporated, start forming your patties, creating a well in the bottom patty half for the pizza toppings.  Sauce the bottom patties, then hit them with the oregano, more Parmesan, the pepperoni, mushroom and a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Top the burgers with the lid patty and seal by pinching the burger edges together.  TIP:  Don't get the pizza toppings too close to the edge of the burger, or it won't seal properly.   Grill the burgers over direct heat, about five minutes per side.  Move to indirect heat and top with another slice of mozzarella cheese.  Brush the buns with garlic butter and toast.   Makes two stuffed burgers and they're awesome!

This burger cost only about $2.00 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes like the classic, "Idaho," "Meatloaf," "Pizza" and more, it's the Bachelor on the Cheap Burger Challenge!

By Mike Thayer 

In a celebration of summer, yours truly is celebrating with what is THE iconic food of summer, the burger.  For a week, lunch and dinner will feature some sort of burger, starting off with a classic cheeseburger and then going on an adventure from there.  The adventure will travel through flavors from around the globe, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian and more!  There will be a variety in spices, toppings and meats!

For Day 2, it's a 'Meatloaf' burger for lunch!   I know the burger purists out there might say this isn't really a burger, but let me tell you, it's another dose of YUM!  Three meats = flavor, the breadcrumbs provide a nice little texture crunch because it crisps up on the grill, the ketchup glaze is scrumptious and the mac & cheese topper just kicks things up another notch.  It's comfort food and a burger in one awesome package!

The Meatloaf burger

Ingredients:

• One pound ground beef
• One pound ground veal
• One pound ground bacon
• Two eggs
• One packet onion soup mix
• One heaping Tablespoon yellow mustard (for the loaf)
• One Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• One Tablespoon steak sauce
• One Cup bread crumbs
• One package Macaroni & Cheese (prepared as directed)
  
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• One Tablespoon yellow mustard (for the glaze)
• One teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ stick of butter
• Garlic powder to taste
• Hamburger buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all the meats, eggs, mustard, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, Worcestershire and steak sauce together to incorporate.  Form into  patties. Keep chilled until ready to grill.  When your grill is ready to receive, place the patties over the hot spot to get those great grill marks and a good sear. While those burgers are grill'n, make the mac & cheese per the package instructions.  Flip the burgers after about five minutes and over to the lower heat side of the grill and get ready to put the lid on. Before ‘lidding‘, place the butter and garlic in a grill safe dish to melt down on the low heat side of the grill next to those great smelling meatloaf burgers. Check after about five minutes. While the burgers are finish cooking, mix together the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar and brush it on the burgers.  As that ketchup glaze warms up on top of the patties, by now the garlic butter should be melted.  Apply the melted garlic butter to the hamburger buns and toast.  Assemble the meatloaf burgers and serve, topped with the mac & cheese.

Tip: If you don’t like forming patties by hand, a quick way to get those made is by using a round Tupperware/plastic container type lid and plastic wrap. Invert the lid, line with plastic wrap, then press the ground beef into the lined lid to form a perfectly round patty.

This burger cost only about $2.50 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

Stay tuned for more great burger recipes, classic, "Idaho," "Meatloaf" and more, it's the Bachelor on the Cheap Burger Challenge!