BLOG: Spring Is Here, Let’s Grill Some Bacon Avocado Burgers!

The weather has been really great for grilling so I hope everyone has been making the most of their grills. Also, I’m not sure if you have noticed but avocados have been really ripe and amazing tasting lately.

Whenever an ingredient is in season it’s wise to use it as the centerpiece of a recipe. This burger has the simple flavors of grilled onions, bacon and pepper, all of which are taken to a whole new level when avocados are ripe and in season.

Don't add any condiments to this burger. Trust me; if avocados are ripe they provide all the flavor you need. Now that the weather is amenable to grilling give this really tasty burger recipe a try!

Ingredients for 4 burgers:

• 1-1.5 lbs of 80% lean ground beef
• 2 Avocados
• Extra Thick Cut Bacon
• Soft Kaiser Rolls
• Sweet Onions (like Vidalia)

Ingredients for the black peppercorn burger rub:

• 1 heaping T fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

First, make the black peppercorn rub. One thing that is really important is to freshly grind the pepper as thick as you can. This will yield fantastic results. Mix together 1 T freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt. After you have prepared your peppercorn burger rub, form some nice sized burger patties. I suggest loosely packing the burgers. Treat them like meatballs where you don't want to pack them too tight. A loose packed burger will be so much juicier than one that has been too manhandled and smacked around in your hands. After the burger is formed sprinkle the peppercorn rub very generously over both sides of the burger. Don't be shy; heavily sprinkle it on your burger.

This recipe relies on ripe avocados. A ripe avocado can be selected at the market with ease. Just pick it up and squeeze it a little bit. If it's too squishy (like pudding) it is probably rotten. If it is hard (like an apple) it is not ripe enough. You have to find one that is nicely soft, but not too soft. Mastering this technique will yield great results not only for making this avocado burger but also in guacamole making.

The burger is topped with bacon and thick cut bacon is the best. I suggest laying the bacon on a broiler pan (or a foil lined baking pan) and baking it at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. This is one of the best (and least messy) ways to cook bacon, in my opinion.

Fire up the grill for a medium heat. There is no need to cook burgers at too high of a heat. While your grill is heating up slice up some sweet onions (not red or white onions) and coat them in olive oil. Toss the onions on the grill over direct heat. Put the burgers on the grill as well but be careful with those loose packed burgers. They can fall apart if you are too rough.

Once the burgers are ready and the onions are nicely charred, prep your avocados by cutting them in half and removing the big seed. Then use a spoon to scrape out the inside. The inner part should come right out of the skin and you can slice it nicely as shown in the picture I posted above.

Assemble the burger with the thick bacon, grilled onions and lots of avocado. I would advise against adding cheese here. The nature of the avocado provides enough amazing consistency on top of the burger where I think cheese would be just too much.

I hope you give this recipe a try this spring! 

John is the author of the grilling food blog grilling24x7.com. Check out more grilling recipes and tips at grilling24x7.com and follow John on Twitter at twitter.com/grilling24x7.