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!

I started things off with a classic cheeseburger for lunch.  What makes my classic different from any other?  It's all in the meat......

So for dinner, I took the Classic burger and kicked things up a notch, adding pork to the meat mixture and including bacon and BBQ sauce in the toppings/condiments.   Here's the recipe:

The Idaho burger
This recipe was ‘developed’ by my three young sons on a summer vacation trip to Idaho. It’s pretty much a classic bacon cheeseburger and BBQ sauce with a spin of mine (adding pork sausage), but my boys really thought they had come up with something new. I wasn’t about to spoil their creativity in their grilling moment of discovery.  

Ingredients: (TIP:  Using two meats in a burger makes for another layer of flavor)

• One pound ground beef
• One pound pork sausage
• One Tablespoon Cookies Flavor Enhancer or if you want to keep it simple, salt and pepper
• 16 slices of pre-cooked bacon
• American cheese slices
• Your favorite BBQ sauce
• ½ stick of butter
• Garlic powder to taste
• Hamburger buns

Directions:
In a large bowl, season the ground beef with the Cookies Flavor Enhancer or the salt & pepper and hand mix until the seasoning is incorporated. Add the pork sausage, hand mix again until incorporated into the beef. Form into 8 patties. When your grill is ready to receive, place the patties over the hot spot to get those great grill marks and a good sear. Keep the lid off and watch for any flare ups. When you see red juices flowing to the top of the patties, flip those burgers 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 burgers. Check after about five minutes. The garlic butter should be melted and the burgers should be about ready. For well done burgers, wait to see the juices run clear. Apply the cheese, top with two slices of pre-cooked bacon and put the lid on for another minute or until the cheese is melted to your liking. Pull the burgers and let them rest. Apply the melted garlic butter to the hamburger buns and toast. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce. You can either pour it on the burger straight from the bottle, or warm some up in a grill safe dish and spoon some of that mouth-watering deliciousness onto the top bun.

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.

Download Mike's Idaho Burger Recipe

This burger cost only about $1.90 to prepare.  Try spending just that at a fast food restaurant for all that deliciousness!

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

By Mike Thayer

The burger, specifically the cheeseburger with all the classic toppings, is perhaps my favorite food.  It's a predictable choice, a typical choice, a go-to food for a lot of bachelors.  I like burgers because they're relatively cheap and easy to prepare and I love to fire up the grill.  Nothing says summer quite like a grilled burger and a cold beer.  The question is, can a guy eat burgers for lunch and dinner for seven days straight and not get bored with it? 

Of course!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly will be 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!

I'll be starting things off with a classic cheeseburger for lunch.  What makes my classic different from any other?  It's all in the meat......

So the key to my Classic burger is to include Cookies Flavor Enhancer in the meat.  I like to use an 80/20 grind of ground beef, it's a perfect blend of meat/fat for the grill and mixing in the Cookies Flavor Enhancer gives it the edge when it comes to a depth of flavor when combined with the kiss of smoke from the grill.

And don't stop there, create layers of flavor!  Don't just put a burger on a bun with toppings.  Toast that bun in garlic butter, I ALWAYS have a ramekin on the grill with butter, garlic and many times other flavors mellowing out on the grill.  Minced onion, cayenne pepper, a splash of wine are all good adds! 

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

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By Mike Thayer

The burger, specifically the cheeseburger with all the classic toppings, is perhaps my favorite food.  It's a predictable choice, a typical choice, a go-to food for a lot of bachelors.  I like burgers because they're relatively cheap and easy to prepare and I love to fire up the grill.  Nothing says summer quite like a grilled burger and a cold beer.  The question is, can a guy eat burgers for lunch and dinner for seven days straight and not get bored with it? 

Of course!

In a celebration of summer, yours truly will be 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!

Stay tuned for some great burger recipes, classic and more!Save

By Mike Thayer

So I recently participated in my first competition BBQ event as a judge, attending the Mankato Cookout in Mankato, Minnesota on June 11.  I had a blast!  I learned a few things, met some great people and enjoyed some EXCELLENT BBQ!  All the other judges at my table told me some great stories and offered up some smart tips and wise advice.  I can't wait until my next BBQ event!

As I left Mankato and all those great aromas, I couldn't get BBQ out of my head!  What a problem to have, right?  So what did I do almost first thing when I got home?  I fired up the grill, of course!

Now I don't yet own a smoker, but cooking low and slow on a grill is still very 'do-able.'  Anything you can do using a smoker, you can do on a grill.  It takes a little effort and a lot of coal adjusting, but it's very 'do-able.'

When I grill, I like to grill a large volume of meats, taking advantage of all that heat, I let no hot coal go to waste!  I grill up lunches and dinners for the coming week with some leftovers for the freezer.  Here's the menu:

• BBQ sauce infused burgers topped with Pepper Jack cheese:  I did the burgers first, taking advantage of direct heat and as a way to anticipate those coals 'simmering down' for lower and slower cooking. 
• Grilled corn on the cob, Mexican Street Corn Style:  I always par-boil corn on the cob before placing it over direct heat on the grill, the corn will still pick up some smoky flavor in the short time it's on, just long enough to get some grill marks and melt a combination of Queso and pepper jack cheeses.
• BBQ pork chops (boneless):  Pork chops are a perfect item to grill up while waiting for those coals to simmer down.  Chops can handle a little direct heat sear and still get grilled to the desired level doneness without charring.   
• BBQ chicken thighs (boneless):  The perfect meat to get some great grill marks on the presentation side over direct heat and then finish cook on the indirect heat side of the grill.
• BBQ pork shoulder, a.k.a. Boston Butt:  A little re-arranging of the coals along the perimeter of the grill allows for some low and slow smoking and the addition of a few more coals extends the burn time another 4-6 hours.  Hello pulled pork sandwiches!
• St. Louis Style Spareribs:  The preferred rib style for competition BBQ

It's all another dose of YUM!

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