The Triple B: Bison, Pulled Bacon, And Black Garlic BBQ

Ingredients

• 1 pound large piece of bacon end (just ask at any local butcher for an uncut bacon end)
• Sweet Heat Aioli:
• 11/2 tablespoons sriracha
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2/3 Cup mayonnaise
• Patty:
• 2 1/2 Pounds ground bison
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 1/2 teaspoon celery powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
• 2 Teaspoons salt
• 1/3 Cup pale ale
• 2 tablespoons honey sriracha
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat
• Grilled romaine:
• 3 romaine hearts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, halved
• 3 scallions, sliced long and thin
• Onion marmalade:
• 2 sweet onions, halved and sliced thinly
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup minced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
• 3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon
• 3 tablespoons pale ale
• Black garlic BBQ:
• 4 black garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons date syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 Teaspoons bourbon
• Extras:
• 12 oz gouda wedge, NOT smoked (the best kind is aged or a gourmet creamy type)
• 6 soft everything bagels, best with little or no hole, bought from a grocery deli not a bagel store (lighter and softer this way)

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium high heat.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Place bacon end in baking dish, fat side up and cover with foil . Cook for 25 minutes. Remove foil and broil on high for 5 minutes or until fat is nice and crispy. Remove from oven and let sit covered. Save the grease.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the aioli. Set aside.
• For the burgers, mix all ingredients together except for the bacon fat. Let sit at room temperature until ready to form.
• Slice romaine hearts in half and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Squeeze lemon lightly over lettuce. Distribute sliced scallions on top. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and caramelized on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until soft, gold, and translucent, around 15 minutes. Add sugar, red onions, and garlic at 10 minutes.
• Once onions are done, reduce heat and add the remaining ingredients. Cook until marmalade it thickened and gooey, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
• While the onions are caramelizing, in a medium mixing bowl, mash the black garlic with a fork until a paste forms. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.
• Once the bacon is finished cooking, add the bacon fat to the burgers and form burgers into six portions. Make a slight dent in the center of each and flatten out to get a large surface area.
• Quickly shred/ chop bacon end and toss in a little BBQ sauce and 1 tablespoon bacon grease. Put it in foil and keep it warm on a cooler section of the grill.
• Brush grill with excess bacon grease. Grill burgers about 6 minutes per side or until desired doneness.
• During the last few minutes, place 2 oz thickly sliced gouda on each burger. Brush bacon grease on buns and grill lightly on each side, along with the romaine hearts.
• To assemble, Spread the bottom of each bun with BBQ sauce and the top bun with a generous amount of aioli. Layer up off BBQ with pulled bacon and a heaping spoon of onion marmalade. Cut out the center portion of each romain heart and place on the burger. Enjoy!