4 hamburger buns
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 ounces Monterey jack, sliced
4 slices bacon, halved to fit buns
black pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon.
3. Season bacon liberally with pepper and fry until just crisp. Reserve on paper towel.
4. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion and Worcestershire in a bowl.
5. Divide beef in to 4 to 6 equal portions and roll into balls.
6. Press balls between individual sheets of wax paper to flatten.
7. Place patties on hot grill and reduce heat to low. Cook with the lid down until the top is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.
8. Flip the burgers, top with bacon, then cheese and continue to grill until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes.
9. Serve burgers on buns, toasted or otherwise, with your favorite hamburger condiments.

Makes 4 servings

Sometimes, like in the event of a hangover, the only thing some people crave is a big, greasy burger. Unlike Wendy's, I cut a lot of corners using 90% lean ground beef and low-fat cheese, but only for personal preference reasons. See, I used to be partial to full fat products, but no longer! Part of that was low-carb brainwashing and part of it was actual preference. I still refuse to use anything but butter and full fat cream when it is called for, but some things are actually better when they're low fat. Take cheese, for example. Regular cheddar melts into puddles; low fat cheddar melts into ooey gooey goodness. Does this really have anything to do with low fat products or dieting? No. This is a Peppered Bacon Burger, after all. I'm just trying to flesh out this entry because I was too lazy to make any sides. I'd recommend the Yogurt Potato Salad or Creamy Coleslaw for traditional barbecue fare.

As I mentioned with the Pepper Mint Patties, the best way to make perfectly shaped hamburgers is to form the meat into balls and then squish them between two sheets of plastic wrap. Well, I'm altering that slightly, since wax paper works an awful lot better since it doesn't move as much and there's no chance of anything sticking to it. These burgers were substantially thicker than I would usually make; a full 1/4 pound. Obviously it takes longer for a thicker burger to cook, and that can mean the difference between a burnt or raw burger and an otherwise delicious one if you're not careful. The burgers turned out fine, but some of the buns we made to go along with them were a tad crispy.