Butter Me Up Hamburgers

Ingredients

Herb Butter
1 pound salted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Patties
1 ½ pounds of ground beef
2 teaspoons of salt cracked
black pepper to taste
12 strips apple wood smoked bacon
6 onion rolls
1 tomato sliced into 6 rounds
1 red onion sliced into 6 rounds
Bibb lettuce
12 slices Monterey Jack cheese
ketchup (optional)
vegetable oil for brushing the grill

Instructions

FOR THE HERB BUTTER: In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, thyme, sage, parsley, and chives. Turn onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll into a log – about 1 ½ -2 inches in diameter. Chill if possible or set aside. FOR THE BACON: Using a fire-proof skillet, cook 12 bacon strips on the grill. Cook until crisp and set aside. FOR THE HAMBURGER PATTIES: Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend. Shape mixture into six patties. Cut six 1/8 inch thick slices of herb butter from the log. Make an indentation on the center of each burger and place herb butter slice inside. Reshape the meat to cover the butter, making sure that it is not visible from either side. Season both sides of the patty with more salt and pepper if desired. FOR GRILLING: Prepare the grill for burgers by brushing with vegetable oil. Place patties on the rack and cover the grill. Cook burgers to desired doneness, turning them once, about 4-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare to medium. If desired, during the last few minutes of cooking, place the onion rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly. Immediately after removing the burgers from the grill place 2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese on each burger. ASSEMBLING THE BUGER: Generously butter both halves of the onion roll with herb butter. On the bottom half of the roll, place cheese topped burger. Layer with a slice of tomato and red onion, Bibb lettuce, two strips of apple wood bacon and ketchup, if desired. Combine the two halves.