Smoked Gouda and Bacon Burgers

This looks fabulous! I love Gouda cheese, and how can they be bad when they have BACON?? I’d get rid of the hot sauce, though. I’ve got a delicate tongue, and anything hot irritates me. Still, it looks yummy and I can’t wait to try them.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• One 1-pound onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Salt
• 1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot or other hot sauce
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of firm white bread
• 8 slices of thick-cut bacon
• 3 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup Sweet Barbecue Sauce
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck (20 percent fat), formed into 4 patties the same size as the bread slices

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the onion is crisp-tender and just turning translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce and beef broth and remove from the heat. Season with salt.

Heat a large griddle. Spread the butter on 1 side of each bread slice and griddle buttered side down over moderate heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasts to a plate. Add the bacon to the griddle and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes per side; drain on paper towels. Wipe off the griddle.

Season the beef patties with salt and cook on the griddle over moderately high heat until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Top each burger with 1/4 cup of smoked Gouda and cook until the cheese melts, 1 minute.

Set the burgers on the unbuttered sides of 4 toasts. Top with the bacon, onion and Sweet Barbecue Sauce. Close the burgers and serve, passing more barbecue sauce at the table.

Make Ahead The onion can be refrigerated overnight and reheated gently before serving.

found through Pinterest, which led me to the original posting at Food & Wine.