We have a wonderful burger restaurant in our town that we go to on occasion.  They grind their own beef mixture from grass-fed cattle, and it’s juicy and so flavorful.  Using this great beef they come up with some very interesting burgers with unique toppings.  One of my favorites is their blue cheese burger.  This is not your standard burger with blue cheese on top.  Instead it’s crumbled and added to the meat mixture.  When the burger is cooked, the cheese melts, adds its flavor to the other seasonings and makes this burger so moist and juicy that it runs down your fingers and into your hands.

Licking your fingers is allowed because you don’t want to waste one drop of that deliciousness.  Well, I have been wanting to replicate this burger at home for some time now, and last weekend I did just that.  It may not be an exact copy, but close enough that I was more than satisfied with the result.  We cooked them on the grill, but they would be just as good cooked in a hot skillet on the stove-top.  I would recommend serving them on the best buns you can find.  A good burger deserves a sturdy roll to capture all that goodness.  This burger will definitely be “in your face”. 🙂

Even if you don’t like blue cheese one little bit, you will most likely enjoy these burgers, because there is no strong flavor of blue cheese, but the overall flavor is just perfect.  If you would like a more pronounced flavor of blue cheese, increase the amount that you put into the meat mixture.

An added benefit to adding the cheese to the beef is that you can use a leaner cut of ground beef and still get a moist and very flavorful burger.  These burgers can be served with your favorite toppings.  I served them with sliced tomatoes and lettuce, and a little mayo on the bun that had been toasted.  These have zoomed to the top of my list of favorite burgers.  In fact I have already made another batch to freeze.  It’s so easy to pull out the number you need for a meal, and they’re pan ready.  Just defrost, cook, and eat!!  Exactly what summertime calls for!

BLUE CHEESE BURGERS

Yield;    makes 12 burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup minced fresh chives or green onions
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to your taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon spicy mustard ( such as Gulden’s)
• 12 French rolls or buns

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, mix ground beef, blue cheese, chives, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and mustard.  Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

2.  Gently shape burger mixture into 12 ( 1/2-inch-thick) patties.

3.  Preheat an outdoor grill to high heat.  Oil the grill grate.  Grill patties 3 minutes/side for medium well; and 5 minutes/side for well done.  Serve on rolls, with toppings of choice.

 

SOURCE:    Carolyn’s Originals