Not to toot my own horn… but WOW this burger is a home run. I combined some of my southern favorites and created the masterpiece I like to call “The Deep South Burger”. Creamy pimento cheese, bourbon bacon jam with caramelized onions, Boston lettuce, fresh tomato, and a buttery brioche bun. It’s a burger that brings those southern elements that we all know and love. It’s a refreshing change from your traditional cheese burger. Not that I don’t love a good juicy cheese burger…. because I do! There’s just something about a burger that catches you off guard in the best way possible. This burger may just be my new favorite. It’s different and off beat.. and the perfect thing for you to cook on your next burger night or on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

I linked my pimento cheese recipe below in the directions, so you can easily click the link to find the blog post. I know this is a burger post, but this pimento cheese would also be wonderful on a traditional BLT.. just an idea! Maybe I’ll do a recipe for that next.

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Serve this with:

KALE CAESAR PASTA SALAD

4 CHEESE BRIE MAC & CHEESE

SPICY SWEET CORN

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Click to buy:

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THE DEEP SOUTH BURGER

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Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes – 1 hour

Serves: 2

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INGREDIENTS for burger:

• Ground chuck burger patties, 80/20
• 2 brioche buns
• 1 tbsp butter, salted
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• Tomato slices
• Boston lettuce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a cast iron skillet (or other large pan) to medium high heat. Butter the inside of the top and bottom of the buns. Place in the hot pan and let toast for about 1-2 minutes till the edges are brown and crisp. Remove from the pan and let sit till ready to use.
2. Season both sides of the patties with kosher salt and pepper. Let come to room temperature before cooking.
3. In the same cast iron skillet used for the buns, start to cook the burger patties. For a thicker patty, cook about 4 minutes a side. When the burgers are about a minutes from being done, place a large dollop of the pimento cheese on top. Cover skillet with a lid in order to let the cheese melt. Once melted, remove burger from the pan and place on a bun with toppings.

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INGREDIENTS for bourbon bacon onion jam:

• 4 pieces thick cut bacon, sliced into 1 inch strips
• 2 tbsp rendered bacon fat
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1 dash kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large pan to medium high heat and add in bacon. Cook bacon till crisp and then remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
2. Remove bacon grease from the pan except for 2 tbsp. Do not rinse pan.
3. Add in onion and cook onion on medium heat for about 5 minutes while stirring. The onions should be slightly browned and soft at this point.
4. Add in light brown sugar, kosher salt, apple cider vinegar, bourbon and water. Stir together and let the sugar melt. Turn the heat down to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Once the liquid has been absorbed and the onions are brown and soft, it is ready.
5. remove from pan and let sit in a bowl till ready to serve.

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INGREDIENTS for pimento cheese:

• Click here for the recipe: PIMENTO CHEESE

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ASSEMBLY for the deep south burger:

From bottom to top:

1. bottom bun
2. lettuce
3. tomato
4. burger patty with pimento cheese
5. bacon onion jam
6. top bun

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