OK, what do you do when your hunger is on over-load and you are so famished, you can’t figure out which teasingly tempting taste treat you should stick in your mouth first, in order to successfully satiate your “craver for flavor” as well as your stomach which is now dangerously below empty.

You’ve definitely gotta have bacon and at this point a burger sounds good, but your sweet tooth for chocolate is screaming out in need to be satisfied! So what do you do first? The good people over at “Epic Nomz” came up with a solution that sounds most reasonable and definitely enjoyable, to boot!

It’s called the “Brooklynite,” as the chefs that put their culinary creativity together to come up with this burger are located in … well you’re probably already well ahead of me on this one, and I’m guessing that you’ve already assumed … the city of Brooklyn, NY.

That is correct! Here’s what they have to say for themselves about this appetizing adventure and precisely how this deliciously delectable delight can find its way to a “mouth” near you … SOON!

“Step 1: Bacon Dipped in Chocolate (Rain)

… You can cook the bacon like you would for any other dish, according to your preferences.  We went for a crispier texture that would really give the chocolate something to hold onto.

After letting the bacon dry off a bit, we began dipping the strips into chocolate that was melted in a makeshift double-boiler (read: two shallow pots stacked on top of each other).  The key is to fully submerge the bacon into the chocolaty goodness so that it really seeps into the ridges.  Once you’ve got all your bacon smothered, set it on a plate in the freezer for about 20 minutes to let the chocolate solidify.

NB:  It was our original plan to drizzle melted white chocolate over the chocolate-coated bacon, but it was fairly uncooperative so we abandoned that ambition fairly quickly.  Kudos to those to achieve the white chocolate drizzle effect.

Step 2:  Prepping the Patties

With one pound of vegetarian-fed ground beef on hand, we began sculpting the foundation of our meal – the rock on which our Church of Nomz is built. Since the quality and freshness of the meat was so high, we felt it unnecessary to add any spices or additional flavoring to the patties.  We did, however, chop up some Armenian string cheese, and carefully fold it into the meat.  You can really add in any kind of cheese you want (or omit it completely if you want your burger to be not as epic), but if you haven’t tried string cheese of the Armenian variety, you may find yourself surprised by its mild flavor, smooth texture, and well, stringy goodness.

Step 3:  Baking Buns, Cooking Cow

We went with a traditional white bread sesame seed bun, applied a layer of pepper-jack cheese, and laid each half open-faced on a baking rack.  We advise to let bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until buns reach the proverbial golden-brown hue.

Concurrently, we began cooking the patties on the stovetop in a pan greased in butter (as the bacon grease was busy cooking our fries).  For best results, keep the burger-flipping to a minimum.  Too much man-handling of the beef makes it tough and dry.  You want to be able to see the juices dripping from your burger when you take your first glorious bite.  Total cooking time on the two 8 oz. burgers for us was about 15 minutes, and the result was tender, juicy, savory patties of perfection.

You can also wash and prep the lettuce at this point.  We used a head of organic lettuce, but let’s be honest, leafy greens are not to be emphasized in this dish.  As long as you have something to add a little crispy crunch, we think you’re covered.

Step 4:  Put It Together, Admire Your Edible Artwork, and Nom Epically

Now, just look at that beautiful thing that is just sitting in front of you, begging to be devoured.  Notice how the chocolate, warmed by the heat emitted from the burger, begins to melt onto the patty.  It is truly love at first sight – beef and pork making sweet love on your hot buns.

As you attempt to wrap your mouth around this beastly creation, reflect on the savory aroma, mixed textures, and downright weightiness of the sandwich.  If you made the Brooklynite correctly, it will be massive.  When you finally take that first bite, the dichotomous flavor dynamic between the chocolate and bacon may be initially strange and confusing, but as your taste buds familiarize themselves with this new combination, you will begin to appreciate this unique, delectable taste.

Feel free to pair with your drink of choice.  We accompanied the Brooklynite with Stone Pale Ale.

Step 5: Reflect on What a Badass You Are

As digestion sets in and you find yourself slipping into a divine state of unconsciousness, think about what a great thing you did for yourself and for humanity. Rub that belly… you are a Hero.  Hells yeah, that was Epic.”

What would you do if you were completely out of bacon and your next Monthly Gourmet Bacon Club “Membership-ment” wasn’t due for another 4 days?

How would you satisfy your need to feed on the world’s only “Perfect Food,” what we have come to call Bacon? Obviously it would be physically impossible to go without bacon for 4 days, so that option is simply ridiculous.

Would you risk buying mass produced, store bought bacon. That’s pretty dangerous because, as you know, once that stuff gets into your fridge, it will eventually get moved into your freezer, then out the garage freezer and over time, it’ll be completely forgotten about and therefore never, ever go away!

Well, thankfully we now finally have “the answer for” you that we believe can help you get through the mistake of not ordering enough gourmet bacon to safely and comfortably get you through your month.

Special Thanks to Dan S. of Los Angeles, California, who had the interest, time, energy and clever idea to assemble a special forces team of 12 serious “Baconistas” to go out and compare / compile a rating system, grading (A) The actual quality of the bacon that is used, as well as (B) The over-all taste, quality and enjoyment of the menu item served up at 12 of the most visited fast food restaurants.

As explained by Dan the grading system is thoroughly logical and quite easy enough to understand. Each of the 12 members of the team of the rank the restaurants from #1 to #12, so that when scoring, #1 gets 1 point and #12 gets 12 points. Like in golf, the lower the score that you receive, the better the ranking the restaurant gets on the list.

Then all 12 grading sheets are carefully tabulated, and the restaurant with the lowest number … wins.

Let us know what you think of the results of Dan and his team’s investigation and we hope this helps those of you who usually don’t do the fast food thing, but simply have to get your “Bacon Fix” before you totally lose it. Thanks Dan.

Here’s what the team concluded when it came to fast Food restaurant with the best Bacon Meal available out there:

#1: Wendy’s

#2: Subway

#3: KFC

#4: Starbuck’s

#5: Quiznos

#6: Carl’s Junior

#7: Del Taco

#8: Arby’s

#9: McDonald’s

#10: Dairy Queen

#11: Taco Bell

#12: Tie Between Sonic and Burger King

Are you getting “sick and tired” (literally) of all those horrendously disappointing and sometimes stomach wrenching “Samo-Samo-Lamo” fast-food “Bacon-Buggers” (pun intended) that continue to promise you a satisfying squeal of delight … but usually tend to deliver nothing more than a desperate moaning, groaning 3-way conversation with yourself and the “Big Guy Upstairs” exchanged over the Ralph’s big, white porcelain phone?

Well we feel you pain and want to introduce you to our good friend Sara over at “Average Betty’s” , who offers up her very own, scintillatingly savory, sense seducing sizzle of a recipe to craftily create your very own gourmet bacon burger, called “The Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno POP Burger.”

For those of you who don’t yet know who Sara is … she’s not only one totally cool and awesome cook who has a deep understanding and penchant for meat, but she is also one truly bodacious “Bacon & Burger Babe!” You might even go so far as to view her as a definite “Betty,” and thus, I suppose the name of her tasty and tantalizing website.

Here’s what Sara had to say, in her very own words:

‘Hi Bacon Today, I love bacon and I love your site!

I wanted to share my latest recipe for the Jalapeno POP Burger and I hope you love it! It is a spicy take on a cheeseburger topped with cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers.

Cheers,

Sara O’Donnell

Average Betty’s Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno POP Burger

(Serves 5 – 6 Burgers & 1 cup Jalapeno Relish)

Ingredients For Burgers:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup chopped jalapeno (majority of seeds and membrane removed)

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt, pepper

(try a splash of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar for more flavor)

I typically get five to six quarter pound burgers out of one pound of meat. Like that math? The chopped pepper and onion bulk up the patties. A lot more flavor, a little less meat!

Ingredients for Jalapeno Relish:

2 fire roasted jalapenos

4 fire roasted “wheels” sweet onion

juice of 1-2 limes

salt

(enough relish for six burgers)

Additional Ingredients:

Buns

cheese (jalapeno jack)

lettuce

tomato

Instructions:

We don’t call this the Jalapeno POP Burger for nothing! Start by making the jalapeno poppers. The complete (and printable) recipe can be found here.

Next, make the jalapeno relish. Grill jalapeno and onion. Chop and combine with fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

To season the meat, add chopped jalapeno, chopped onion, cumin, garlic powder and black pepper.

Shape into patties and season with sea salt right before placing onto a super hot grill or griddle. The salt ensures a nice crust on the outside of the patty.

TIP: Try making a juicy lucy by putting the cheese inside the patty. Watch the Jalapeno POP Burger video to see me make one!

Flip and top with cheese. To help melt the cheese you can cover for the last minute. Allow the burgers to rest while you grill or toast the buns.

Then, add lettuce, tomato, the juicy and delicious burger patty, some of that ultra-spicy fire roasted jalapeno relish and the top bun. Garnish with jalapeno poppers and enjoy.”

Thank You Sara!

There have been so many numerous incarnations and variations of the Bacon Burger over the past few months, that everybody’s favorite “Gourmet Guru” Emiril Lagasse; finally decided that enough is enough … and so BAM … he has now just released this absolutely awesome recipe from his very own personal collection “tempting taste treat treasures.”

This recipe is specifically custom crafted for us genuine gourmands who are seeking a more elevated evolution of the “busy burgers” currently being bantered about by every single fast food chain on the planet.

Emeril’s Home-Ground Burgers with Bacon, Cheese, and Fresh Thyme

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

6 ounces bacon, chopped

1 cup finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 slices cheddar cheese

4 sesame-seed hamburger rolls, lightly toasted

1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

8 thin slices tomato

Mayonnaise, for serving

Ketchup, for serving

Mustard, for serving

Pickles, for serving

Ingredients for Orange-Habanero Ketchup

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 habanero chile, stemmed and seeded

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes (with the juice), broken into pieces

Cooking Directions

1. Place the diced chuck in a large bowl.

2. Set a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and most of the fat has been rendered (for about 7 or 8 minutes.)

3. Add the onions to the pan and cook them until they are softened (about 4 to 5 minutes.)

4. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until it’s fragrant.

5. Add the thyme and toss to combine.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture over the diced chuck. Drizzle with the Worcestershire, and season with the salt and pepper. Toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Cover and set aside to marinate, refrigerated, for 1 hour.

7. Assemble a home grinder according to the manufacturer’s instructions, using a medium die for grinding. Grind the meat mixture and then gently form it into 4 patties, being careful not to overwork it. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

8. Pre-heat a grill to medium, and lightly oil the grate.

9. Remove the patties from the refrigerator and place them on the grill. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Then turn them over and place 2 slices of the cheddar on each burger. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes for medium-rare to medium, or until the burgers are cooked to the desired degree of doneness.

10. Place a burger on the bottom of each of the 4 toasted buns. Dress with the lettuce

and tomatoes, and add mayo, ketchup, mustard, and pickles as desired. Serve immediately.

How to Prepare the Orange-Habanero Ketchup

1. Set a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, habanero, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until softened.

2. Add the wine vinegar, cider vinegar, brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, kosher salt, mustard, and mace. Stir to combine.

3. Bring the sauce to a boil, and add the tomatoes and tomato juices. Continue to cook for about 20 or 25 minutes until the liquid has been reduced by half.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool briefly, then transfer the mixture to a food processor, and puree until very smooth. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

3. Store the ketchup in a clean non-reactive container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. This preparation yields about 3 cups.

Special thanks for this recipe go out to Chef Emeril Lagasse, from the book “Emeril at the Grill,” published by Harper Studio Publisher , New York, 2009, courtesy of Martha Stewart’s MSLO, Inc.

Boss Hog doesn’t mean to completely blow your mind or make all of the “Fast Food” joints out there feel bad and sorry for what they are doing, but here’s the “dag burn” truth of the matter!

The fact is, you can enjoy serving up 4 of the most outrageously delicious, top quality, premium, country style gourmet BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers for less money than it would cost to go pick them up at a drive through window, and the burgers will be twice as big, 4 times more healthy and 5 times as tasty and enjoyable, while simultaneously being about 180 calories lighter with about 20% more protein, 30% less fat and 30% less saturated fat, while maintaining a carbohydrate percentage that is actually lower than the store bought burgers.

It’s not a miracle; it’s simply choosing to use only the finest, freshest, top of the line ingredients in the preparation of the meal.

Sound good? Then let’s do this thing!

Boss Hog’s Authentic, Country Style Gourmet BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger

(Serves 4)

Ingredients: ounces of prime, ground beef  

16

2 tbsp freshly ground garlic

Salt to taste.

12 slices of Bacon Freak’s Bourbon Street Cajun Style Smoked Country Bacon

4 wheat hamburger buns

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

4 slices jack cheese

4 thick slices of red onion

4 thick slices of tomato

1 jar of Coastal Vineyards Gourmet BBQ Sauce

Instructions:

Grind your prime beef till it has the consistency of common, uncooked hamburger meat.ack the beef tightly together with your hands.

Mix the ground garlic into the meat and p

Shape the meat into 4-inch-diameter patties on a sheet of wax paper.

Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides, and then place in the freezer for 10 minutes in order to help the patty maintain its shape.Preheat a grill to high.

Place the bacon on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes, turning the bacon every 4 minutes until the bacon is cooked to your preferred level of crispiness.

Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb all excess bacon grease.emove the patties from the freezer and allow them to marinate in a bowl of the BBQ sauce for about 5 minutes.

R

Now place the burgers on the grill.

Cook to desired preference of “done-ness, turning the burger ever 2 minutes to get a consistent grilling for the meat.

Toast the bun halves on an upper grill rack for 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching them carefully.

Place the cheese on top of the burger for the last few seconds of cooking so it just begins to melt.Add the patty to the toasted bun bottom.

Crisscross the 3 bacon strips on top of the burger.

Generously lather the cooked burgers with more BBQ Sauce on the top of the burger and then carefully place the onion and tomato on top.

Serve with some potato salad, or natural cut French fried potatoes, large dill pickles and a beverage of your choice.  Enjoy!

Bacon Today is dedicated to bringing our members the very finest, premium quality, gourmet bacon in the entire world, isn’t going to jump through hoops to sing the praises of Old McDonald’s and it’s farm, but the truth of the matter is, “Mickey D’s” new Third Pounder Bacon Cheese Burger is actually pretty darned good.

Now I know that all of us “Gourmet Meat Purists” are supposed to shudder and quake at the very thought of a fast food burger, but in all honesty, this burger is truly one of the best things to ever come from between the “golden arches” and compares quite favorably with most of the chain restaurant bacon  burger options out there, if you’re out driving around without our grill hitched to the back of your car and you get hungry.

Now I know where still supposed to be indignant and ticked off about “The Mickster” downsizing all of their items to about ½ the size they originally were when they were first released on the market, but one can and truly “MUST” try to keep an open mind about the “NEW” items that come out over time, and yes … this burger actually is much closer in size to a real, actual sized burger for “human” consumption and is not simply designed to stock up on finger food snacks for Barbie’s Malibu Beach House, like so many other items that have suffered the fate of “Honey … I shrunk the meat!”

McDonald’s Third Pounder Angus Bacon Cheese Burger actually fairly lives up to the “Mickey D” motto of Bigger really is better!” so big props to Ronald and the rest of the gang.

The burger is basically a third-pound (before cooking) of 100% Angus beef (that’s definitely the good stuff, prepared on what is referred to as a premium quality bakery style bun, which is pretty decent but not anything in reality as you might come to expect based exclusively on those creatively written words. Then, as predicted, they truly do add some succulently savory bacon, along with two slices of golden cheese ( we were not able to find anyone in the particular 3 restaurants that we visited, that could explain the term “golden cheese), all topped off with crisp red onion and crinkle-cut pickles.

It’s actually very tasty. 3 different McDonald’s were visited to ensure that our whole McDonald’s Angus Third Pounder Bacon Cheese Burger experience was not left up to pure random chance, and we actually found ourselves “Lovin’ It” ( Duh Duh Duh Duh Duhhh!) at all 3 locations.

Check it out!

We decided to give Burger King another shot. After the bacon fail at Burger King a few months back we took a break from the capital of “Have it Your Way”. Some buddies wanted to make a fast food run and we wound up at Burger King where I spied the BK Stacker on the glossy overhead menu. It looked so tasty & juicy I had to give it a try.

The burger arrived in a specifically-labeled wrapper. Nice touch BK! On the wrapper it reads:

You might be looking at this BK Stacker saying, “It’s piled so high with meat, cheese and bacon, I want to climb it.” Don’t. Just eat it.

While kind of humorous, once we opened the wrapper we quickly learned that this was a bit of an overstatement.

The pile was not nearly high enough to warrant any oohs or aahs, let alone make us want to climb it. There was enough bacon peeking out of the sandwich to make us want to continue though, so continue we did.

If you’ve been reading Bacon Today for a while, you know that the proper way to test any bacon-enriched food is first — before anything else — to tear off a piece of plain, unbridled bacon and test the quality of the porcine ingredient. We did just that with the BK Stacker burger and give the Burger King bacon a “fair to middlin” (that’s mediocre for you folks not from the mid-west portion of the United States).

From a presentation standpoint, the burger lacked any “food sexy” for sure. From a tastiness standpoint, well we give this burger a Smaste™ rating of 26.687. Good for a quick bacon jolt when you need it, but not recommended for a true bacon connoisseur.

EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION:
Why is it that the non-Whopper burgers taste so much different than the genuine Whoppers at Burger King anyhow? Any former Burger King patty slingers out there that can shed some light on this phenomenon?

This weekend we visted the Burger King fast food restaurant in Superior, WI. Upon entering the establishment we spied the following sign on the front counter.

Only $3.68 for a bacon cheeseburger combo meal? Our order was already decided for us. Bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a soda — yum!

We waited in anticipation for order number 168 to be called. We grabbed the tray off the counter and rushed back to the table to begin our feast. After unwrapping the burger we saw this…

The burger didn’t look like anything special, but certainly didn’t look horrible. One thing was missing however — where was the bacon peeking out from under the bun like you usually see on a good bacon burger? Further investigation was required so we popped the hood.

Look at that. We got maybe half a slice of whimpy, flimsy, paper-thin bacon on top of that single slice of American cheese. Poorly cooked and terribly presented, this bacon cheeseburger from Burger King is a complete BACON FAIL.

Good thing our next stop was bacon at Sonic Drive-In. Little did we know that Sonic was about to save our bacon today.

Smaste™ rating for this burger: a very low 17.898.

Recently I traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana. This was my first visit to what turned out to be a really great town. Downtown Indianapolis was clean, pleasant, and I felt quite safe. Of course when I got there, I needed to find some bacon.

I attended an awesome party on Massachusetts (“Mass Ave” for you locals) and got a little tipsy. After the party I decided it would be a good idea to walk back to my downtown hotel. After about 45 minutes of stumbling around the city after midnight, I began to get hungry. I was quite lost until I found the direction I didn’t even know I was headed — toward Steak & Shake and what would turn out to be one of the best bacon burgers I’ve ever tasted.

I ordered the “Single Steakburger™ with Bacon & Cheese ‘n Fries”. For only $3.99 I figured I couldn’t go wrong. Turns out Steak & Shake is a build-your-own-burger kind of place so I let my waitress know my request for toppings: onions, pickles, lettuce, and mustard. I kept it simple so as not to dampen the bacony goodness headed my way.

When the burger arrived it looked great. A perfectly buttered bun on a well-arranged plate. A deep green leaf of fresh, crisp lettuce was spilling out of the sandwich. Keep in mind it was nearing 12:30 a.m., the place was packed with people, and the food still came fresh and well-prepared. Very impressive.

When I popped the top off the burger my jaw nearly hit the table. The bacon was prepared to perfection and had no resemblance to the usual limp, flimsy bacon you usual get at fast food restaurants. I immediately tore off a section of bacon to give it an unhindered taste. True to its appearance the bacon was fantastic. I quickly reassembled the burger and got to work on the meal.

From first bite to last, the Single Steakburger™ with Bacon & Cheese was a definite winner. Classic burger taste. Full, salty bacon flavor. A highly recommended experience if you’re ever within the vicinity of a Steak & Shake restaurant. this burger earned an extremely high  Smaste™ rating of 42.94 and will likely be ordered again as soon as I see another Steak & Shake.

–Corey James

UPDATE: I ended up going back to Steak & Shake three nights in a row and ordered the same bacon burger. Each time it was the same tasty meal, so my after midnight experience was not a fluke.

While reading an email in Gmail from staff writer Mike Kirsch (read his articles), an interesting ad appeared on the right side of the page. Here’s the ad:

The ad was compelling, but unfortunately it only took us to the home page of the Rice Krispies site. At first I was going to claim false advertising, but decided to give Kellogg’s the benefit of the doubt and dig a bit deeper. A simple search of “bacon” on the Rice Krispies site gave me a gem of a recipe:

Beef and Bacon Burgers

What??? A Bacon Burger recipe with Kellogg’s Rice Krispies? It’s great to see such a clever matchup of breakfast cereal and nature’s meat candy. My mouth is watering just looking at that savory photograph. Well done Kellogg’s!

We’ll definitely have to give this recipe a try here at Bacon Today.

–Mr. B.