Fun-Day Brunch Burger

My inspiration for this burger is all those lazy Sundays…. Getting up late, looking at the ads in the Sunday newspaper, and then cooking a fun meal that satisfies your hunger for both breakfast and lunch.I remember doing this as a kid with my parents, and now my wife and I carry on this tradition. This burger wraps up all those feelings and those flavors and puts them on a bun. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Sweet and Spicy Mustard Sauce
• ½ Cup Yellow Mustard
• 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• ½ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder (preferably Coleman’s
brand)

Burger Patties
• 2 ¼ Pounds Ground Sirloin
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Salt
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Granulated Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon White Pepper
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Mustard Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Rubbed Sage
• ¾ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• ¾ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• ¾ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Carmelized Apples
• 3 Granny Smith Apples
• 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
• ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar

Cinnamon Maple Butter
• 1 Stick Salted Butter (room temperature)
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

Maple Bacon
• 12 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
• ¼ Cup Maple Syrup

9 Ounces Stilton Cheese, divided into 6 equal portions
(1 ½ ounces per burger)

6 Brioche Buns

Instructions:

•Preheat the Grill
Preheat gas grill to medium high

•Make the Sweet and Spicy Mustard Sauce
To make sauce, combine mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, and mustard powder. Mix well and set aside.

•Make the Burger Patties
To make the patties, combine: salt, sugar, white pepper, mustard powder, rubbed sage, dried thyme, nutmeg, ginger, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and mix well. Add spice mixture to ground sirloin in a large bowl. Mix together well while handling the meat as little as possible; this prevents it from becoming too dense. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions (6 ounces each) and form into patties leaving a slight indention in the center of patties. Set aside until grilling.

•Make Cinnamon Maple Butter
To make cinnamon maple butter: Mix butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

•Make the Bacon
Cook the bacon in a fire-proof skillet on the grill over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. Drizzle maple syrup on warm bacon. Set aside.

•Make the Caramelized Apples
To make caramelized apples: Cut apples into ¼ inch rounds (discard top and bottom slices keeping only the 12 largest slices for use). Core each apple round. Using a large fire-proof skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add 4 tablespoons of brown sugar to skillet and stir. Place apple rounds on top of butter, brown sugar mixture. Evenly sprinkle remaining 4 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of apples. Cook 2 minutes, then flip apples cooking another 2 minutes. Flip apples one last time and cook 1 more minute to ensure apples are thoroughly coated and fork tender but not falling apart. Place apple rounds on foil sheet, uncovered. Transfer to grill warming rack.

•Cook the Burger Patties
With grill still on medium high heat, place patties on the rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes (depending on your preference cook 3 minutes for rare, 4 minutes for mid-rare, and 5 minutes for medium). Flip the patties over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes depending on your preference. Add Stilton cheese onto each patty during last 2 minutes of cooking. Place 2 apple rounds on top of the cheese on each burger patty (this will keep the cheese crumbles from falling off). Remove patties from grill.

•Toast the Buns
Liberally spread cinnamon maple butter on cut side of brioche buns and place on the outer edges of the grill rack. Once lightly toasted remove from grill for burger assembly.

•Assemble the Burgers
To assemble burgers place a burger patty on each bottom bun. Top with 2 strips of maple bacon and 2 tablespoons of mustard sauce. Lastly, place the top bun right on top and you are ready to eat.

•Recipe Makes 6 Burgers.