Avocado Bacon Cheeseburger

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Grilling season is in full swing. When I was in college at Ball State, I’ll never forget walking to work at the campus newspaper on warm evenings and smelling barbecue grills all around campus perfuming the air like fresh cut grass on a five-acre lawn.

According to a 2009 study conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, 82 percent of all U.S. households own a grill or smoker and during peak grilling season 45 percent of those grill at least 1 or 2 times a week. The most popular grilling occasions are Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day, but 56 percent report they grill during the wintertime. The survey also says the most popular foods for cooking on the grill are, in order: burgers (85 percent), steak (80 percent), hot dogs (79 percent) and chicken (73 percent).

For this recipe, I make America’s favorite grilling item – the burger. An avocado spread with jalapeño and lime juice gives it a signature flavor complimented by bacon, onion, tomato and cilantro.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This is an improvement on a concept that I originally did two years ago with my fourth column for print. It was a little different and I used chicken, but the basic idea here is deconstructed guacamole distributed throughout a sandwich. My basic recipe for guacamole is avocado, jalapeno, red onion, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. All of those elements are found here surrounding a bacon cheeseburger. (With pepper jack cheese for a little extra spice.) Bacon and avocado work so well together that it can make any sandwich taste awesome, and I must say, I absolutely destroyed two of these. My Dad made pretty quick work of the other two.

Another element to this sandwich is the charcoal flavor.

I recently upgraded to a 22.5” Weber grill from an 18” to have more room for roasting larger chunks of meat. What I have found is that the extra room and distance from the coals allows the meat to soak up more of the smoke created in the larger container. I am truly amazed at how much better the charcoal flavor is. This is the item recipe I have cooked on the new grill and all three have had exceptional charcoal flavor. If your in the market for a new charcoal cooker from Weber, spend a little extra and get the 22.5” size - It’s well worth it if your a fan of charcoal.

Eat well, cook often ...

Herb-Garlic Tortilla Chips and Fresh Guacamole

My favorite kind of tortilla chips are what is usually found at Mexican restaurants. They are made from corn or flour tortillas that are deep fried, seasoned according to the chef’s tastes and usually served with a salsa made at the establishment. It is the perfect start to any meal.

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The first party I ever catered, I started the meal with my own tortilla chips and fresh salsa. The chips alone received the most compliments. I think they were memorable because it stood out from the ordinary tortilla chip found anywhere from grocery stores to vending machines. The chip gave the entire meal a gourmet feel.

For this recipe, I make homemade tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. I start by infusing oil with fresh herbs and garlic, which imparts a unique and aromatic flavor into the corn tortilla chip when fried. I then season it with salt and fresh grated parmesan cheese. The unexpected flavor from the chip makes this snack impossible to stop eating – Not to mention, the tasty and fresh guacamole that goes with it.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I have had this recipe for a long time. I started writing my column a year-and-a-half ago and I usually challenge myself to create something new each week. It makes the job easy to use a treat I had created long ago. I saw the flavored-oil technique on the Food Network's Tyler's Ultimate, I think he used it for fish and chips. Somewhere a long the line I thought it would be a good way to flavor tortilla chips.

I have made these chips a number of times and I have never had leftovers.

The guacamole is something I picked up at a cooking class taught be Sue Torres, chef and owner of Suenos in New York City. It was the first cooking class I had ever taken and it was a ton of fun. I learned a lot about making fresh salsa as well as the guacamole. I highly recommend taking classes or attending demonstrations regardless of experience, there is always something more to learn.

My family requests the guacamole more than any other dish I make, it's always a hit. Seriously, my family tears into a platter of this stuff like werewolves on a veal farm.

I decided to create this for myself this week while enjoying an afternoon of football – and thought it was time to share it here.

Eat well, cook often ...