Bacon Burger

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 burger buns
• 800 g minced beef
• 1 tsp, heaped chili flakes
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp, heaped cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp, heaped pepper
• 1 tsp, heaped cumin powder
• 1 vegetable onion(s)
• 1 cucumber(s)
• 8 slices of bacon
• 4 slices of cheese, e.g. Emmental, Maasdam
• 1 large beefsteak tomato(s)
• 1 iceberg lettuce
• e.g. barbecue sauce
• e.g. mayonnaise
• e.g. Jalapeño(s), pickled, sliced

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 6 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 35 minutes

Mix the ground beef, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, pepper, cumin powder, and eggs in a bowl and let it marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours. I always do this in the morning so it’s ready the next day. Slice the onion into thin rings (2-3 rings per burger), slice the tomato into thin slices (1 slice per burger), do the same with the cucumber, only thinner (1-2 per burger), and tear off a large iceberg lettuce leaf (the size of the burger bun) for each burger. Tip: I make a mixed salad with the leftover onion, tomato, cucumber, and lettuce. After letting it marinate, portion the ground beef into equal-sized burgers and shape them into burgers. Ideally, they should be 50% larger than the burger bun, as the meat shrinks and thickens when grilled/fried. Now sear the meat on one side, then flip it over, grill/fry the bacon next to it, then finish cooking the second side and flip it over again, then place the cheese on the meat and finish cooking the first side. Important: Follow the topping order: bottom half of the bun, then sauce/mayo, onion, meat (cheese facing up), lettuce, cucumber, bacon, jalapenos, top half of the bun. This way, the burger won’t fall apart so quickly.