Grilled Sirloin Burger with Roasted Garlic, Brie and Maple Candied Bacon

Grilled Sirloin Burger with a Head of Roasted Garlic,
Brie and Maple Candied Bacon

A little known fact about More Than Burnt Toast is that I belong to a group called The Okanagan Burger Tour. We are a group of burger "enthusiasts" who venture to a different restaurant or venue once a month to eat burgers. Why?  We love our burgers! We have been anywhere from the highfalutin  to the truly humble and never seem to run out of places that serve this harbinger of summer barbecues. It is a fun group and something I look forward to each month.

 One of the most memorable burgers for me was at a little place on the lake called The Blind Angler. It was barely large enough to hold our group but what it lacked in space it made up in quality of their burger, the burger/bun ratio and the quality of their bun. Not that long ago I was haunted by their juicy sirloin burger topped with melted brie and at least a head of sweet, nutty roasted garlic. I dreamt of a burger where my elbows caught the drippings and my toes would curl. I do not have their recipe so invented my own version. Ultimately I entered my burger in a contest. I did not win, but, the judges don't know what they are missing...wink.

What makes a  burger memorable for you? I’m not talking about those pre-made, pre-packaged, frozen-thawed-refrozen meat discs. I mean a real, honest-to-goodness, freshly-ground burger, the way nature intended.

I usually use medium ground beef for a juicier and more flavourful burger. Patties made with lean ground beef tend to lose moisture during cooking and may become dry. Juicy burgers need only gentle shaping when being formed. Adding fillers, over mixing and too much handling, pressing and patting make tough, dry grainy tasting hamburgers. Heat the grill to high and put your pure beautiful, home-made burgers on. One important thing to remember... don’t touch them! The tendency is to poke, prod, press and flip them while they’re cooking. This just forces all the juices out and you’ll end up with tough, dry, grilled hockey pucks. Leave ‘em alone! Just a quick flip is all they need, then let them cook on the other side and finish it off with a nice, chewy bun that can hold it all together.

"Just a Burger? Just a burger. It’s so much more than "just a burger." I mean…that first bite—oh, what heaven that first bite is. The bun, like a sesame freckled breast of an angel, resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below, flavors mingling in a seductive pas de deux. And then…a pickle! The most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a…a patty of ground beef so exquisite, swirling in your mouth, breaking apart, and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savor so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread. This is God, speaking to us in food."--How I Met Your Mother

Give it a whirl and have a great weekend!!

**Grilled Sirloin Burger with Head of Roasted Garlic, Brie and Maple Candied Bacon**

1-1/2 lbs ground sirloin, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 - 4 tablespoons water
olive oil for brushing
freshly ground pepper and salt
4 slices Brie
4 good quality hamburger buns (the bun also makes or breaks the burger)
4 heads Roasted Garlic (recipe below) - 1 head per person
olive oil
Maple Candied Bacon (recipe below)
Arugula
4 slices onion (optional)
4 slices tomato

In a medium bowl lightly knead the sirloin with water and Worcestershire sauce. Loosely shape into 4 patties about 3/4-inch thick. Season generously with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate lined with plastic wrap. Make a small indentation in the centre of each patty with your thumb to ensure even cooking because the burger swells during cooking. Brush the sides of the buns with olive oil.

Light your grill. When the fire is medium-hot, brush the grate with olive oil. Grill the burgers for about 10 minutes, turning once. In the last few minutes of cooking top with cheese slices. Move the cheeseburgers away from the heat and grill the cut sides of the buns until they are toasted, about 1 minute.

Set the cheeseburgers on the bottom halves and top with arugula, tomato, onion (if using). Top with other half of bun and serve right away.

Serves 4

**Roasted Garlic**

4 heads of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the outer skins of each garlic head leaving individual cloves and skins intact. Cut off the very tip of each of the heads of garlic. This will make it easier to squeeze out when finished. Wrap all 4 heads of garlic in aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast until garlic is soft and golden inside, about 30 minutes. Squeeze out the garlic onto burger.

**Maple Candied Bacon**

8 slices thick sliced bacon, good quality
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Finely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the lined sheet tray and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other, not overlapping.

In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup and mustard. Generously spoon over the top of the bacon, and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the bacon over and baste with syrup mixture. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon has reached desired crispiness.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle hot bacon with a scant pinch of finely ground black pepper. Let the bacon rest on the rack for 5 minutes.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.