The Big Ben SlawSwissBurger

So in order for this post to make any sense at all (and then it probably still won't), you have to firstly sort of be into football and secondly maybe be a Steelers fan and then thirdly you have to say the name of this burger really fast all the while picturing a particular quarterback in black and gold.  But not those prisoner uniforms, please, never again with the yellow and black stripes.  

Yes, this is partly a post about my hope that Big Ben can once again overcome injury and haul his team into one more playoff game and possibly even another superbowl, and it's also peripherally about the level of weirdness that may reside in one who takes the time to invent a burger about it.  But as it turns out, this is mostly about what has become one of our favorite burgers to date... The SlawSwissBurger.

And you really don't have to care a twit about football or the Steelers to enjoy a SlawSwissBurger.  No sir, this burger is ready to stand for nothing more than just some really good eats.  Because what we have here is a burger stuffed with Gruyere cheese (a kind of Swiss, if you will), topped with two more slices of melted swiss cheese and a very tasty slaw that makes for one heckuva messy, scrumptious burger.  But they would also make outstandingly messy sliders for your football party.

I fully realize that SlawSwissBurger isn't actually all that close a reference to Rothlissburger, but I felt that a RawSwissBurger might not be quite as charming.  Or edible.  So here's the recipe...

The Big Ben SlawSwissBurger

Click here for a printable recipe 

Makes 3 burgers

1 1/4 lbs ground meat (I used ground turkey)

2 teaspoons Circle B Kitchen seasoning salt (or your favorite)

6 slices of swiss cheese

3 slices of Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 cups of our burger slaw (recipe follows)

3 burger buns

Burger Slaw

1 cup of shredded cabbage

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chili sauce (I used Heinz)

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

For the Burgers:

Sprinkle the burger meat with the seasoning salt, mix well and then divide it into 6 equal portions.  Form them into thin, flat patties and lay one piece of the Gruyere cheese on 3 of them.  Top those with the other 3 patties, pinching the sides of each to seal the cheese inside.  

For the slaw:

Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, pickle relish and Dijon mustard.  Place about a cup or a cup and a half of shredded cabbage in a separate bowl and then stir in enough of the mayo mixture to create a good sauce for the burger.  You made not need all of the sauce mixture, but it also makes a great dip for fries.

Oil your grill or grill pan and then heat it until it's starting to smoke.  Place your burgers on the grill and cook for about 5-6 minutes per side.  Top each burger with a slice of swiss cheese for the last 3 or 4 minutes of cooking.

While the burgers cook, warm the buns and place one slice of swiss cheese on the bottom half of each bun and top that with a little of the slaw mix.  Top that with your cooked burger and then a little more slaw mix.  Add the top bun and enjoy!

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