Low Country BBQ Burger with Bacon Weave and Smoked Gouda Grit Cake
Forget the bun, load your burger up with bacon, cheese, and grits!
Ingredients
For the Smoked Gouda Grit Cakes:
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbs unsalted butter
- ½ cup quick-cooking grits
- ½ cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
For the Bacon Weaves:
- 18 strips bacon cut in half to make 36 pieces total
- 1 Tbs barbecue seasoning see Notes
For the Low Country BBQ Burgers:
- 2 lbs chuck ground beef
- 1 Tbs barbecue sauce of choice plus additional for topping the cooked burgers
- 2 tsp minced onion
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- couple good pinches fresh cracked pepper
- 6 slices smoked Gouda cheese
- ¼ cup finely sliced green onion
Instructions
For the Smoked Gouda Grit Cakes:
- Bring the water and butter for the grits to a boil. Whisking constantly, stream in the grits. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese and salt. Taste for seasoning. Spread Gouda grits into a 13x9 bake dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Put dish in the refrigerator to cool completely and firm up (~30 minutes).
- Once set, use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 6 rounds. Dust each with flour.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large, nonstick pan. Add the cakes and gently brown both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
For the Bacon Weaves:
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- On a rimmed bake sheet, lay 3 bacon pieces (each is a half strip of bacon). Use 3 additional pieces to weave the bacon and assemble a ~6x6-inch lattice. Repeat with the remaining bacon pieces to end up with six Bacon Weaves. Sprinkle barbecue seasoning over each.
- Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Flip (by this point the lattice holds together so it flips easily), sprinkle more seasoning, and cook 10 minutes until fully crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain fat and set aside.
For the Low Country BBQ Burgers:
- Heat grill to high heat.
- Combine the ingredients for the burgers and form into 6 patties. Put a dimple in each and spread each to keep them from balling up too much while cooking. Grill burgers 4 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Place a slice of cheese on each and allow to melt.
- On a plate, layer in the following order: bacon weave, burger topped with cheese, and grit cake. Drizzle barbecue sauce over and garnish with green onion. Yields 6 servings.
Notes
For seasoning the bacon, I wanted a candied vibe, so I used my Grill Rub because it includes brown sugar. You can use whatever seasoning you prefer, with brown sugar or not, or use no seasoning at all. It's bacon, it will be fine.
For the grit cakes, a large skillet will accommodate all 6 cakes; however, if you have to work in batches, replace the oil in between batches with fresh because the excess flour will blacken the oil, scorch, and cause subsequent batches to taste burned.
For time management: cook the Bacon Weaves and prepare the burger patties while gits are setting. Cook the grit cakes while grill is heating.
Calorie count is purely an estimate calculated using an online application to serve as a guide and not to be taken as accurate nutritional information. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and let me know!