Taste of New England Burger

I absolutely love where I live.  Sure, spring is a bit elusive here, and weeks of soggy weather can force you to grill while holding an umbrella, but there are so many wonderful things about New England too.   We have beaches, forests, mountains, plus there's maple season, wild blackberries, apple orchards, and bread baked in a can.

*This is a sponsored post.  I received products for use in the creation of my #BurgerMonth recipe.  All opinions are my own.*

 

When I decided to participate in Girl Carnivore's Burger Month again this year, I decided to take those flavors of my little corner of the world and incorporate them into my recipe.  The maple glazed bacon was the first element I tested.  I tried it with both raw bacon and ready to eat bacon, and was happy with the results with both.  It's absolutely delicious.

The barbecue sauce is something we usually like to use on steak, so of course it will go with burgers too.   I make the sauce ahead and store it in the fridge, it keeps for a really long time and is also great on chicken or pork. 

I added some grated Granny Smith apple to the burger, I really loved the flavor it gave the beef.  The real debate came when it was time to choose the cheese.  Cabot Creamery always sends such an amazing variety. We're big fans since it's a New England brand.   I went with the Vermont Sharp Cheddar, but any of them would have been fantastic. 

I tested the burgers originally on traditional rolls.  They were a hit.  But then I tried it on some sliced B&M brown bread, and it just put them over the top. You can slice the bread, brush it with a little butter or oil and grill it a bit while you are waiting for the cheese to melt if you like.

I like mine with lettuce, tomato, and onion, with some additional blackberry barbecue sauce on top.  This one fires on all the flavor cylinders- salty, sweet, crunchy, tart, meaty, cheesy!

A huge thanks to the #BurgerMonth sponsors:
Cabot Cheese, Char-Griller Grills, Crow Canyon Home, Porter Road, Melissas Produce, Red Duck, 
Spiceology, & Western BBQ!

Taste of New England Burger

Yield: 4

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Perfectly grilled hamburger patty, lots of melty delicious Cabot Cheese, topped with a homemade blackberry barbecue sauce, maple glazed bacon, and served on Boston brown bread.

Ingredients

For the blackberry BBQ sauce:

• 1 cups cider vinegar
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 lb. blackberries -- fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup Jack Daniels or other bourbon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the maple glazed bacon

• 8 slices bacon
• 1/4c maple syrup

For the burger

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1/4c shredded apple
• Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Lettuce, tomato, onion, optional
• Boston Brown Bread in a can

Instructions

1. Make the BBQ sauce:
2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Process in a blender or food processor until the consistency is smooth. Move 1/4 cup sauce to small bowl for basting, reserve remaining sauce. This can be done several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
3. For the maple glazed bacon:
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Set a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Lay out bacon in a single layer. Bake for 15 mins, fat should render and it will begin to brown. Brush bacon with maple syrup on one side, flip and repeat. Continue to bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
5. For the burger:
6. Gently combine grated apple, ground beef, salt and pepper to taste. Divide into 4 patties. Spray grill grates with cooking spray, or rub down with oil. Heat to high. Reduce heat to medium-high, and grill patties with the lid down for 6 minutes.
7. Flip gently and brush the tops with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the reserved barbecue sauce. Close lid and cook for 4 minutes. Add Cabot cheese to each patty, close lid and cook an additional 2 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Assemble the burger:
9. Place slices of brown bread on plates. Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion if desired. Add burger and top with 1 to 2 Tablespoons blackberry bbq sauce. Garnish with 2 slices of maple glazed bacon. Top with another slice of brown bread.

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