How to Make Blue Cheese Burgers -- Two Ways

I don't know anyone that doesn't appreciate a well-cooked cheeseburger, although they can be boring when you make them with the same old toppings. This is one of my favorite cheese recipes for completely transforming this classic meal. It goes very well with salad, roasted french fries or onion rings.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4 ounces crumbled creamy blue cheese, such as Castello Extra Creamy Blue Cheese

1. Break the meat up in a large bowl and add the Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands to incorporate all ingredients.
2. Wet your hands and shape into eight patties about half-an-inch thick. Use your finger or a spoon to make a small indention in the middle of four patties. Divide the blue cheese into 4 portions and shape each portion into a disk, setting into the center of each patty indention. Now, top these patties with the remaining beef patties and seal the edges well to keep the cheese from coming out. Refrigerate the patties, covered, for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 4 hours.
3. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill and grill burgers with vents open until they're done. Don't flip the burgers more than once and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature for doneness. Don't press the burgers or the juices (and cheese!) will leak out. Serve warm.

This is another one of my favorite blue cheese recipes for burgers, although this one doesn't require stuffing the patties. It's also a lot faster to prepare. The blue cheese is incorporated into the meat for full flavor. For this recipe, skip the lean beef and go full-fat for a truly rich flavor. I typically serve these burgers on warm French rolls with lettuce, mayonnaise and tomato.

Image: Protogarrett at Flickr

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands, just until incorporated. Shape meat into patties half-an-inch thick that are larger than the buns you will be using. Cover the patties and refrigerate for around two hours.
2. Preheat a gas grill on high and apply oil to the cooking grate to keep the burgers from sticking. Grill for 5 minutes per side and avoid pressing on the burgers. Serve warm.