Cheese Burgers with Onion Jam

These sweet, savory, completely addictive burgers are just the thing to kick of your Grilling Season! You will have leftover onion jam from this recipe; it's also fantastic on a veggie sandwich or just eaten as a snack with buttered bread. This recipe makes 4 full-sized burgers or you can use smaller rolls for 8 sliders.

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hours 0 minutes

Ingredients
For the onion jam:
3 red onions, cut in half crosswise and sliced into half-rings
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

For the burger patties:
1 pound ground chuck
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy or tamari sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the burger assembly:
4 brioche buns, split
4 ounces sliced sharp cheddar
A couple handfuls of leafy greens
Sliced dill pickles

Directions
Make the red onion jam: In a large sauce pan, heat oil to medium. Add onions and season with salt and pepper; cook until the onions become soft, about 20-25 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the mixture thickens and becomes jam-like. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature; the jam will thicken more when it cools.

Make the burger patties: combine all burger patty ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix gently with your (clean) hands. Be careful not to overwork the meat mixture as it may become tough. Form the mixture into 4 patties and set on a plate to rest while you get the grill ready.

Preheat your grill to medium and oil with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Cook the burger patties for 5 minutes on each side; the last couple minutes of cooking add the cheese so it can melt. You can also grill the buns, cut side down on the grill, for about 30 seconds to toast them up at this point. The burgers should be at an internal temperature of 160 F when they are ready. Once cooked, remove from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes before assembling the burgers.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on the bottom side of a bun. Top with pickles, lettuce and a big scoop of onion jam. Place top of bun on burger. Serve and enjoy!