bacon makes everything more delicious

Have I mentioned before how much I love a good burger? I think so! Here is my burger from tonight with all the fixings (including my favorite topping, sliced pineapple), served with salt-and-pepper flavored Kettle chips.

So, I have said before that Jude now grinds all of our meat at home to make better quality (better cuts for better taste, but also from one animal for less risk) burgers. Tonight he had the brilliant idea to add a little bacon--just enough for taste--as he ground the steak. This added just enough smokey pork-flavored goodness to take these burger patties form fabulous to phenomenal.

Here are his patties before going in.

And after--nice char on the outside with a perfectly pink mid-rare on the inside. He seared them on a small pan on each side to get the crust first. Then, he put the whole pan into the oven and finished them off on a high heat. Perfection.

Here is the kitchen spread for our burger additions. Lettuce, fresh pineapple, tomatoes, raw red onions, Kewpie mayonnaise, a couple different mustards, sea salt, etc.