Smoky Bacon-Crusted Burgers with White BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

WHITE BBQ SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
BURGER PATTIES
2 pounds ground chuck
1/4 cup Sutter Home Shiraz
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 strips good quality smoked peppered bacon
vegetable oil for brushing grill rack
6 slices Monteray Jack cheese
6 Kaiser rolls, split
6 green leaf lettuce leaves

Instructions

1. Prepare a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill with cover. 2. In small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice; refrigerate until burgers are done. In large bowl, add ground chuck, shiraz, onion, garlic, paprika, sugar, cumin, ancho chile and salt. Handling meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form portions to fit the rolls. 3. With a rolling pin, roll each strip of bacon to about 10-inches in length. Cover each burger patty with 2 strips bacon, pressing ends of bacon strips gently into the surface of the meat to secure or securing with toothpick soaked in water. 4. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack bacon seam side down to start, cover and cook, turning occasionally until bacon is lightly browned and burgers are desired doneness, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. During last 1 to 2 minutes of grilling, place cheese on patties to melt and place rolls cut sides down on grill to brown. 5. To serve, spread a generous amount of white BBQ sauce onto cut sides of rolls. Place a lettuce leaf onto bottom roll; top with burger and remaining roll cut side down. 6 burgers