Grilled Hawaiian Burger

Yield: 8 Servings

Photo by BHG.com

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1-2.8 ounce package cooked bacon pieces
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 hamburger buns or plain bagel thins
• Leaf lettuce (optional)
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced (optional)

 

Directions:

1. In a very large bowl combine beef, blue cheese, onion, pineapple, ham, bacon pieces, pepper, and garlic powder; mix well. Shape meat mixture into eight 1-inch-thick patties.
2. For a charcoal grill, place patties on the grill rack directly over medium coals. Grill, covered, for 12 to 14 minutes or until done (160 degrees F to 165 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling.
3. Top burgers with cheddar cheese. Continue to grill, covered, for 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as directed.)
4. Serve burgers on buns. If desired, top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Nutrition Facts (Hawaiian Burger)
Per serving: 596 kcal cal., 32 g fat (15 g sat. fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 8 g monounsatured fat), 137 mg chol., 951 mg sodium, 27 g carb., 2 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 46 g pro. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

 

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Bacon Wrapped Turkey

Yield: 8 Servings

Photo Source: BHG.com

Ingredients:

• Turkey
• 10 slices applewood-smoked bacon
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried sage, finely crushed
• One 12 pound fresh or frozen turkey, thawed if frozen
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut in wedges
• Fresh sage leaves

Bacon and Onion Gravy

• 2 cups turkey broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• Butter, melted
• 2 slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Turkey

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Finely chop 2 slices of the bacon. Stir together the finely chopped bacon, the finely chopped onion, and the finely snipped sage; set aside.
2. Remove neck and giblets from turkey; discard. Rinse turkey; pat dry with paper towels. Loosen the skin from the breast meat by sliding your fingers underneath it, being careful not to tear it. Slide your hand as far as you can toward the opposite end of the turkey, separating the skin from the meat. Rub the bacon mixture underneath the skin over the entire breast, working toward the thighs as much as possible.
3. Sprinkle inside of body cavity with kosher salt and pepper. Fill cavity with sage sprigs and sweet onion wedges. Pull neck skin to back and fasten with a small skewer. Tuck drumstick securely to tail, if available. If there is not a band of skin, tie drumsticks securely to the tail using 100% cotton kitchen string. Twist wing tips under back. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle turkey with additional salt and pepper. Weave remaining 8 strips of bacon in a lattice pattern over the breast. Tuck additional sage leaves into the lattice. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of inside thigh muscles. The thermometer should not touch bone. Cover loosely with foil.
4. Roast for 2 3/4 hours. Remove foil. Roast for 15 to 45 minutes more or until thermometer reaches 175 degrees F. (The juices should run clear and drumsticks should move easily in their sockets.) Remove from oven. Cover turkey with foil; let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
5. Transfer turkey to a cutting board. Remove and discard onion and sage from inside turkey. Carve turkey. Serve with Bacon and Onion Gravy.

Bacon and Onion Gravy

1. Stir 1 cup broth into pan drippings from roasted turkey in roasting pan, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour drippings into a 2-cup glass measure. Skim and reserve fat from drippings. If necessary add enough melted butter to the reserved fat to make 1/4 cup. Add enough broth to the drippings in measuring cup to make 2 cups total liquid.
2. In a large saucepan cook 2 slices bacon over medium heat until crisp-cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon from saucepan and drain on paper towels.
3. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in saucepan; add 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1 teaspoon sage to the mixture. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Carefully add vinegar to skillet and cook until evaporated.
4. Add the 1/4 cup fat to the saucepan with the onion mixture. Stir in flour. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.
5. Add drippings mixture all at once to flour mixture in saucepan, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.
6. Stir in crumbled bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

From the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen

Hattie’s comment was “this is the best skin ever.” It had a great bacon flavor.
The sage was subtle, but nice. Bacon/onion/sage combo seemed very Thanksgiving like.
I cooked a smaller bird and only made 2 cups gravy, but for this 14-to 16-pound size you would need more.
The gravy was tasty. One thing I had thought about was adding a little whipping cream to the gravy, so you could try that.
Bacon is hard to finely chop. Could say to freeze bacon in a single layer and then break the frozen bacon and add to food processor. . . .it might chop it up better. TK could try this.
I used Vander Rose Farms bacon.

Nutrition Facts (Bacon Wrapped Turkey)
Per serving: 557 kcal cal., 29 g fat (9 g sat. fat, 6 g polyunsaturated fat, 11 g monounsatured fat), 270 mg chol., 519 mg sodium, 1 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 73 g pro.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

 

Bacon Chocolate Bark

Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen worked on this creation of chocolate and bacon.

Bacon and Chocolate: What more could you ask for?

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients: 

• 2 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
• Two 1 ounce squares bittersweet chocolate, unwrapped

Directions:
Place bacon on a rack in a shallow pan. Brush bacon with caramel sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until crisp. Once cool, cut into 1-inch pieces. Meanwhile, line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bittersweet chocolate square about 1-inch apart prepared baking sheet.

Bake chocolate for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Using a spoon, spread the chocolate to a thin even later. Place the bacon pieces on top.

Chill for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

From the BHG.com Test Kitchen:

To use a candy bar:
If you are using a chocolate candy bar, reduce baking time to 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Spreading is not necessary.