Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Burgers with Beer and Bacon Jam

Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Burgers with Beer and Bacon Jam

As the school year starts and we progress further into September, a touch of Fall is definitely in the air but there are still plenty of days to get out and do some great grilling while the weather still allows here in Newfoundland. This weekend is a good opportunity to enjoy one of the best burgers I've tasted this summer.

My versions of cheeseburgers often include cheese stuffed inside but while some recipes add grated cheese, I prefer to add small cubes of cheese into the ground beef mixture, so that it melts in little pockets and oozes out when you bite into the juicy burger. Delicious, robust aged Canadian white cheddar is what I used in this recipe but you can easily substitute any of your own favorite cheeses.

The crowning glory of this burger is again one of my favorite new condiments that I recently featured on Rock Recipes, Beer and Bacon Jam! The discovery of this amazing addition to grilled chops, steaks, chicken and of course, burgers, has to be my favorite new recipe of the grilling season. If you didn't catch that recipe a few weeks ago, be sure to check it out here: Beer and Bacon Jam.

Roasting garlic for this recipe is very easy. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice about a 1/4 inch off the top of a head of garlic, place it on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil add a pinch of salt and pepper and bring all the edges of the aluminum foil over the garlic head and squeeze it together to seal completely. Roast for about 35 minutes or until the garlic is completely softened and turning golden brown and are easily able to be removed from the skins.

For each burger combine:

• 6 ounces lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 ounces aged white cheddar, cut in 1 cm cubes
• pinch kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground dry thyme
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Form into patties and cook on a hot grill or in a hot, lightly oiled cast iron pan until well done (internal temperature with a meat thermometer should read 160 degrees F or higher). Serve on toasted crusty rolls topped with Beer and Bacon Jam.