Breakfast Burger

With Fourth of July weekend fast approaching, having a large arsenal of recipes for grilling is a must. While even the plainest burger is delicious cooked on the grill, a Fourth of July cookout is also a great chance to try out some creative recipes and impress your guests, so I offer up to you this recipe for your holiday grilling. This supremely savory burger is wonderfully decadent, with smoky bacon, pungent cheddar cheese, and decadent egg yolk melding together in an incredible collection of rich flavors. If you want to take it completely over the top, use a combination of ground pork and pork sausage instead of ground beef to make this burger maximally indulgent. Runny egg yolk melding all the ingredients together is one of the best parts of this burger, but if you're not a fan of runny egg yolks, this burger will still be fantastic if you cook the yolk through. I've put together many burger creations this summer, but my husband cites this as probably his favorite creation so far, so I know this is a recipe worth sharing. Go forth and fire up the grill this holiday weekend, enjoying some quality time and good eats with friends and family.

Breakfast Burger
serves 2

2-4 slices bacon (depending on size)
8-12 ounces ground beef (local, grass-fed organic is the best if you find/afford it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
2 whole grain buns or English muffins
2 oz. sliced sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Cook bacon to desired level of crispness, remove from pan, drain, and break each slice into two pieces, if large. Reserve bacon grease in the pan. While the bacon is cooking, mix mayonnaise and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the top halves of the two buns.

2. Meanwhile, preheat a grill pan or gas grill over medium to medium-high heat or prepare a charcoal grill (my personal preference). Divide ground beef into two even patties and season each side with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook burgers to just shy of desired level of doneness (I like my burgers medium-rare). Preheat the pan containing the bacon grease over medium heat towards the end of the burger cooking time.

3. Placed sliced bacon and cheese on top of burgers and continue cooking until cheese is melted. While the cheese is melting, cook the eggs until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny, flipping halfway through. Place the burgers with the bacon and cheese on top of the bottom halves of the buns, top with the fried egg, and the other half of the bun.