Brian in the Kitchen Recipes
BRIAN IN THE KITCHEN brought to you by Stittsworth Meats
June 15 2017
Bacon and Cheese-Stuffed Chili Burgers
For the Chili Con Carne
6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
4 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup beer
For the Burgers
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack mix)
3 Tbs. cooked and crumbled bacon (reserved from chili con carne)
1 Tbs. Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard
2 lbs. ground beef
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheese and mustard for service
For the Chili Con Carne
Heat a dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until crisp and then remove it from the pot. Drain off all but 1 Tbs. of bacon grease and reserve the remainder in a small bowl.
Cook the ground beef in the pot until it is completely cooked through. Remove the ground beef from the pot and drain off all grease (discard the grease).
Add 1 Tbs. of the bacon grease back to the pot. Cook the onion until it is just softened (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt, and cook for 1 minute.
Once spices are warmed through, add the mustard, diced tomatoes, beans, beer, and the cooked ground beef to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature, and simmer for 30 minutes. If you’d like a thinner chili, thin with more beer.
For the Burgers
In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheese, reserved bacon, and mustard. Divide the cheese mixture into 6 portions.
Divide ground beef into 6 equal portions. Divide each portion in half. Press one half of a divided portion of ground beef into a flat, round patty. Top the half with 1/6 of the cheese mixture. Press the other half of the divided portion of ground beef into a patty and use it to top the cheese mixture, forming a pocket of cheese in between two beef patties. Repeat the process with the other portions of beef, forming a total of 6 burgers. Season each side of the burgers with salt and pepper.
Grill burgers on both sides until they are cooked through, or approximately 3-4 minutes per side.
To serve burgers: place a burger on a bun, top with chili, cheese, and more mustard if desired.