Grilled Bacon Meatloaf Burgers

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Just ask the woman who created this burger. After dinner one night at a Greek restaurant, she decided to combine the flavors from her grilled meatloaf entrée with her love for pimiento cheese on a burger. The result? This tangy, homemade delight with a Southern flare.

Ingredients:
1 cup minced Vidalia onion
¼ cup minced green bell pepper
¼ cup minced red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 large eggs
¼ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. steak sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp ground paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef chuck
½ lb. ground pork sausage
12 slices cooked bacon
Pimiento  cheese spread
6 hamburger buns, toasted
6 slices tomato (optional)
6 green lettuce leaves (optional)
Dijon mustard (optional)

Directions:

• Spray a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, approximately 3 minutes.
• Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
• Transfer vegetables to a large bowl and let cool completely.
• Add bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire, steak sauce, dry mustard, paprika, salt and pepper to vegetable mixture, combining well.
• Add ground beef and sausage, mixing until just combined.
• Shape mixture into 6 patties and place on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat a grill to medium heat. Spray grill rack with nonstick, nonflammable cooking spray.
• Grill burgers, turning once, just until they feel firm when pressed in the centers (meat should bounce back), approximately 5 minutes per side.
• Remove from heat and immediately top each burger with two slices of bacon and desired amount of pimiento cheese spread.
• Serve hot, on buns, with tomato, lettuce and Dijon mustard, if desired.

Source:
Taste of the South, June/July 2010