2pound bacon cooked until crisp, crumbled or chopped small
2cupscooked barbecue pulled porkroughly chopped
1 1/2poundsground chuck or ground beefbetween 80/20 - 75/25 lean
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
sliced pepper jack or cheddar cheese
For serving:
toasted burger buns
favorite barbecue sauce
thinly sliced red onion
sliced tomatoes
sliced pickles
crisp lettuce
Instructions
Combine the bacon, pork, and beef in a large mixing bowl. Mix with your hands to evenly distribute the different meats. Use a ring mold (as outlined above) or shape the patties with your hands. Place them on a large tray. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set the tray in the refrigerator while you preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
Set a spray bottle of water next to the grill, so that you can spray down any flare-ups. Place the cold burgers on the grill and don't touch them again until they are browned on the bottom and about halfway up the sides, about 4 minutes. You should be able to easily slide your spatula under them. If flames flare up from the fat in the burger, spritz the burgers with a little water.
Flip the burgers carefully and continue grilling over medium-high heat until there are grill marks under the burgers, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer the burgers over to one side of the grill and turn the burners off under the burgers and adjust the other burners to medium-low heat. This allows the burgers to finish cooking over indirect heat. When the interior temperature is 5°F below the point you like it, (rare: 125-130°F, medium: 140-150°F, well: 160-170°F), lay the slices of cheese over each burger and transfer the burgers to a clean tray. Loosely cover them with foil and let them rest until the cheese has melted.
While the burgers are resting, toast the buns on the grill. Build the burgers with whichever topping you like best. I personally recommend copious amounts of barbecue sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend using a kitchen scale to make uniform burger patties. It sounds like more work, but it's really easier than without the scale. First, place the scale in a gallon size zip-close bag, so that the raw meat doesn't touch the scale. Set a 4 or 4 1/2-inch ring or biscuit cutter on the covered scale and add 5 ounces of meat inside the ring. Press gently to spread the meat into a circle. Lift the cutter and then gently pick up the formed patty.The burgers can be made in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. The burgers can also be frozen. (See below for full freezer directions.) This recipe can be doubled or tripled without any difficulty, although you may need to cook the burgers in batches, depending on the size of your grill.FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Place the tray with shaped uncooked patties on it in the freezer. Cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to two days. If you would like to store them in the freezer for longer, place the frozen patties in a large ziploc bag and seal tightly to remove air from the bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Cook the burgers directly from frozen. Place the frozen patties on the hot grill and add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.