Bacon Bella Burger with Avoli Smear

For the past 41 years I’ve enjoyed cooking almost daily.Burgers have always been a staple in my household and while a straight up grilled burger is hard to beat, my quest has always been to find that better burger. This one is loaded with flavor, stays juicy and makes a great pool party burger

Ingredients:

Patties

2 pounds fresh ground chuck

½ cup cooked bacon, crumpled

½ cup portabella mushrooms, chopped

½ cup red onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced/crushed

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

6 slices muenster cheese 1/8″+ thick

6 kaiser buns, split

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 romaine leaf pieces, split in half

12 thin sliced tomatoes

Avoli Smear

1 Haas avocado (large), ripe

¼ cup feta cheese, crumpled

½ cup mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, diced

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot grill.

Prepare the patties by combining the ground chuck, bacon, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil without over working mix. Chill mixture prior to separating into 6 equal portions and forming into 5 inch patties. Set aside 10-15 minutes for grilling.

In a blender or food processor combine the avocado, feta cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, basil, pepper and lime juice. Blend until completely smooth and transfer into a bowl or squeeze bottle.

Dress the medium-hot grill with olive oil (using tongs and paper towels to coat the rack.) Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Flip patties and cook for 2 minutes then top with cheese slices, cover and finish grilling to your preference ( 2 to 3 more minutes for medium, or 160 on a meat thermometer). At burger flipping time, brush buns with olive oil, and grill them until they are lightly toasted.

Assemble the burgers by spreading a generous amount of the Avoli Smear on both sides of the grilled buns. Top each bun bottom with romaine lettuce, patty, tomato slices and bun top. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.