Coffee Rubbed Bacon Buzz Burgers

Even if you have a tried-and-true burger recipe, this breakfast-inspired approach is a great wake-up call for your grill routine. The coffee bean rub and smoky bacon will get you buzzing. To go the extra mile, I’ve been known to drop a fried egg on top.

Ingredients

Coffee Rub

• 1 Tbsp freshly ground coffee
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsps light brown sugar
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• ½ tsp sea salt

Burgers

• 4 slices applewood-smoked bacon
• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 8 slices smoked Gouda cheese (about 8 ounces)
• 8 potato bread  buns

Directions

1. Mix all dry rub ingredients together and store in an airtight container until ready for use. Good for up to one week.
2. Finely chop raw bacon slices until pieces are small enough to be mixed with ground meats. Gently mix with chuck and sirloin in large bowl. Form meat into 8 patties, each 3 ½ to 4 inches in diameter and 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Using thumb, make a slight indentation in center of each burger. Cover and chill while you heat barbecue to medium-high heat.
3. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coffee rub on top side of each burger.  Place burgers on grill rack. Grill until slightly charred, about  4 minutes; turn and cook 3 minutes. Top each with 1 cheese  slice. Cover and cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute longer. Place burgers  atop buns and add favorite toppings.