Blue Ribbon Blue Cheese Burgers


I adapted a recipe from the Spiceology website to make these heavy-on-blue-cheese burgers. I love blue cheese dressing for wings and salads, but otherwise I'm not crazy about it, whereas my husband could have it on everything. This was a good balance when I added the homemade onion straws and the bacon strips. Spiceology's Bb (black and blue) seasoning is actually amazing, and I've used it for everything from breading chicken fried chicken to spicing up homemade dips. Click here to buy it, or see below for optional substitutes.

For the burgers:
  • 2 lbs ground beef (80/20 is ideal)
  • 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
  • 1 Tbs Spiceology Bb Seasoning (or sub 1 tsp cayenne and 2 tsp paprika)
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
For the onion straws:
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced (I used white onions - you can use any)
  • 2 c milk
  • 2 c flour
  • 1 Tbs salt
  • 1 Tbs Bb seasoning (or cayenne)
  • 2 c vegetable oil for frying
For the finished product:
  • 10 strips bacon, cooked
  • 5 hamburger buns
Ahead of time, slice the onions very thin and put into a tupperware or freezer bag. Add the milk and make sure the onion slices are submerged. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Mix together burger spices with the Worcestershire and crumbled blue cheese, then add the ground beef and mix by hand until everything is evenly incorporated. Form into 5 patties and press down well so they're about 1/2 inch thick, and set aside.

Make the onion straws. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and Bb seasoning. Put the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat and let it get hot.  I drain the onions using the container lid, but you can use a colander if you want. Then take a handful and drop it into the flour mixture. Coat the onions, shake off the excess, and drop it right into the oil. Let fry about 4 to 5 minutes and remove as soon as they're golden brown. Add a little more salt to the finished product, and continue frying the onions in batches until they're all cooked.

Cook the burgers on a griddle or on the grill for 5 minutes per side, flipping once, for well done. Put the cooked patty on the hamburger bun and top with two slices of bacon and a heaping handful of onion straws. You can also garnish them with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo... but I didn't :)