Southern Pimento Cheese Burgers

Ingredients

• 8 slices applewood bacon smoked thick-cut
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1.3 cups cabbage shredded
• 0.3 pound cured and country ham smoked finely chopped chopped (or in a food processor)
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese room temperature
• 1.3 pounds ground beef 
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 0.5 tablespoon horseradish 
• 0.3 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise room temperature
• 0.3 cup monterey jack shredded room temperature
• 1 tablespoon bread and butter pickle juice 
• 2 ounces pimento peppers diced jarred drained
• 4  potato hamburger buns split
• 0.5 cup kettle-cooked potato chips plain crushed
• 1 cup cheddar shredded extra-sharp room temperature
• 1 teaspoon mustard yellow

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• oven
• mixing bowl
• grill pan

Directions

1. Watch how to make this recipe.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. To prepare Pimento Cheese, in a medium mixing bowl, combine Cheddar and Jack cheeses, mayonnaise, cream cheese, pimento peppers, pickle juice, horseradish sauce, and mustard; mix until well combined.
4. To prepare Honey Slaw, in a small mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, honey, and cabbage; mix until well combined.
5. Heat a 12-inch nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat.
6. Add bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping once.
7. Drain on paper towels.
8. Pour off almost all of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving a very thin layer.
9. To make the patties, combine the beef, country ham, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties to fit the buns.
10. Using the same grill pan as before, cook the hamburgers over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side or until cooked medium rare.
11. Meanwhile, place buns on a rack in the oven.
12. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes. Also, place the plates that the burgers will be served on in the oven to heat.
13. To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of Pimento Cheese on the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom (on top of the Pimento Cheese), place a thin layer of Honey Slaw. Top the slaw with a burger patty, 2 slices of bacon, and crushed potato chips.
14. Add the bun tops.
15. Place the completed hamburgers on a nonstick baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 minute.
16. Serve burgers on warm plates.