Deep-Fried Cheese-Stuffed Burger From Bacon

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/ahamburgertoday/5226/how-to-make-a-deep-fried-cheese-stuffed-burger-from-bacon

How to Make a Deep-Fried Cheese-Stuffed Burger From Bacon
Posted Fri, Jan 11, 2008

Remember the 100% Bacon Burger? No—it didn't have bacon on it; it was made from ground bacon.

Well, its creator, Kirk Draut, who came up with it on his site, Peppers and Smoke, just emailed me saying he wanted to push the envelope for 2008, so he went pretty nuts. He made a cheese-stuffed patty from ground bacon and then DEEP-FRIED IT!

Because I know you might want to try this at home, I've crafted a how-to guide below, inspired by the photo gallery on the creator's site. If you follow it, be sure to be careful when working with hot oil. And, I'm not kidding: Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Just in case!

How-To: Deep-Fried Cheese-Stuffed Cheeseburgers Made From Bacon
Equipment

Meat grinder (or stand-mixer meat-grinder attachment )
Deep-fryer (or a stockpot with boil basket )
Deep-fry or candy thermometer (preferably one that clips on to side of pot)
Meat thermometer
Ingredients

1 pound bacon
1 to 2 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut into small pieces
Packaged beer-batter mix
A neutral-flavored oil, for frying (safflower oil, peanut oil, or vegetable shortening work well)
Your favorite hamburger bun
The cheese of your choice
The condiments of your choice
Procedure

1. Run the bacon through the meat grinder once—and then a second time, to evenly distribute fat and meat.

2. Form two equal-size patties, making an indentation in the center of one to hold the cheese. Place the cheese in the indentation of the bottom patty, cover with the top patty, and crimp the edges tightly to seal. Make sure seal is tight so cheese does not leak out.

3. Place oil in your deep-fryer, and allow it to come to frying temperature. If you don't have a deep-fryer, use a stockpot with a boil basket, along with a deep-fry thermometer that clips to the side. Heat oil over high heat to 365°F. (Note: Depending on the oil, it will begin to burn between 400 and 450°F and will catch fire around 500°F. So be very careful to monitor temperature.) Once the oil reaches 365°F, reduce heat to low and monitor temperature, keeping oil at 365°F.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the beer-batter mix according to package instructions. Dredge patty in mix. Place patty in boil basket and lower gently into hot oil. Cook until patty's internal temperature registers 160°F on a meat thermometer.

5. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels. Serve on bun, topped with the cheese and condiments of your choice. (Note: Be careful not to bite into this too soon after cooking. The molten cheese could deliver quite a scalding.)

For the original Bacon Burger

http://www.peppersandsmoke.com/bbq/burgers/