Virginia Summer-Time Bacon Burger

Here is my entry into the Chapel Hill Court Labor Day Grill Off competition.  This entry was my third winning entry in a row and will mark my retirement from the competition.  I was inspired by trying trying to come up with a better way to create a bacon burger than wrapping bacon around the burger.

Virginia Bacon Burger (makes 16 – 18 burgers)

4 lbs. 90% Lean Ground Beef

1 ½ lbs. Hickory Smoked Bacon – finely chopped

2 Sweet Onions – finely chopped

2 tbls. of McCormick Montreal Steak Seasonings

8 oz. Goat Cheese – sliced into rounds

Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce

Good Hamburger Buns

Mango and Peach Salsa (recipe below)

Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and steak seasonings together with your fingers.  Take a hand size ball of the ground beef mix and flatten it out. Lay a goat cheese round in the center.  Take another ball of the ground beef mix, flatten it out, place it on top of the other patty, and seal it together.  Repeat until all the patties are made. Grill to perfection. Brush both halves of the buns with the BBQ sauce and top the burger with the salsa.

Mango and Peach Salsa

4 peaches, diced

2 Mangos, peeled and diced

1 Red Onion, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

2 limes, juiced

2 tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cup of cilantro, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.