BigAburger-Witda-Works
Enjoying Tucson, Arizona since 1962, I’ve seen so many restaurants come and go. One great loss was my favorite burger known as the Big A Burger served up by the Big A restaurant just steps off the University of Arizona campus. Once Big A closed their doors I had to attempt my own Big A, and over the years have made countless variations of what starts with a perfect blending of fresh ground beef, Canadian bacon, fresh avocado and cheddar cheese. This personal creation is in fact a very big, very juicy, and very tasty classic that my family and friends have tagged the BigAburger-Witda-Works.
Ingredients:
Patties:
- 3 Pounds ground sirloin
- ¼ Cup butter, frozen or chilled + 5 tablespoons
- ¼ Cup Worcestershire sauce + 1 tablespoon
- 6 Slices Canadian bacon
- 6 Slices sharp cheddar cheese, cut thick
- 1 Large red onion, sliced thin
- 1 Cup guacamole, prepared fresh
- 12 Slices of a large ripe tomato, cut thin
- 6 Iceberg lettuce leaves
- 2 Teaspoons coarse ground pepper
- 1 Teaspoon olive oil
- 6 Burger buns
Guacamole:
- 2 Large ripe avocados, mashed
- 3 Cloves of garlic, crushed, or finely chopped
- ⅛ Teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice
Instructions:
Patties:
- Divide beef into 12 equal portions and carefully (without overworking) loosely form into patties
- Dice ¼ cup chilled butter into small ⅛ inch bits and spread onto 6 of the patties
- Drizzle ¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce equally onto all 12 patties
- Merge, sauce side up, 1 patty with butter and 1 without into 6 patties
- Spread 2 teaspoons of coarse ground pepper over tops of burgers
- Cover burgers and set aside at room temperature for 20-30 minutes prior to grilling
- Make guacamole by combining avocado, garlic, seasonings and lime juice. If desired, purchased guacamole works great as well
- Set 1 cup aside for burger assembly (eat the remaining)
Onion:
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, place 1 tablespoon butter, sliced onions and Worcestershire sauce
- Add ¼ teaspoon coarse ground pepper, while stirring onions until lightly caramelized
- Set aside for final burger assembly
Assembly:
- Prepare a gas grill by preheating to high for 5+ minutes
- Lower grill to medium and wipe with olive oil
- Place 6 slices of Canadian bacon on grill for 1-2 minutes on each side and remove once lightly grilled
- Place 6 burgers onto grill for 7 minutes on first side
- Flip burgers, divide and spread equal portions of grilled red onion onto each burger
- Place cheese slices over onion and place grilled Canadian bacon on top of cheese for each burger
- Cover grill, turn to medium and finish cooking for 7-8 minutes for medium slightly pink
- Remove burgers and loosely cover while preparing burger assembly
- Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and brush inside of cut buns and lightly toast inside side of buns for 1-2 minutes
- Plate buns, spread equal portions of guacamole onto inside of top bun
- Place lettuce onto bottom bun, then burger, 2 tomato slices and cover with top bun to serve