Bleu Buff Bacon Burger

This may sound like the most decadent thing in the whole world ... well, okay it's a pretty decadent burger, but gosh darnit if it wasn't just the tastiest thing in the whole world. I actually got the idea from the Hickory Street Bar & Grill in downtown Austin that serves a similar sandwich with chicken. And what a better way to assert my grill skills than to serve up a sizzling sandwich with a sauce that will leave you sideways. The "buff" part of this burger is a special buffalo style sauce of my own creation.

When I make burgers, I only use ground chuck. Chuck is ground from a specific part of the cow, the shoulder area, and it has the meat to fat ratio that I think is perfect for making burgers. The 80/20 ratio makes for a nice juicy burger without being runny and disgusting. My little secret is that I brush the burgers with melted butter after each flip. Decadence to the n-th degree.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chuck 80/20
  
• 6 strips bacon, cooked
  
• 1 small cup crumbled blue cheese
  
• 1/2 stick butter
  
• 3 TBSP Tabasco
  
• 2 Tsp. Vinegar
  
• 1 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
  
• 1/4 Tsp. celery salt
  
• 1/4 Tsp. black pepper
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

To make the buffalo sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan and add the vinegar, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt, celery salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine all. In a small bowl, add the mayo and then the vinegar mixture on top of that. Whisk thoroughly to combine, then set in the fridge.

Make three third-pound burgers with the chuck. Add a bit of salt and pepper to the ground meat. Set your grill for direct heat cooking and grill the burgers to your desired level of doneness.

To dress the burger, spread a little bit of the buffalo sauce on each bun, then top the burge with bleu cheese, some field greens, and a couple of strips of bacon. Enjoy!