Being able to cook is a fundamental skill that every man should have at least a basic grasp of. Traditionally, men have always been involved in food preparation, from hunting and butchery to cooking and baking. We’re not talking about men whose hobby is to cook the occasional restaurant-quality meal for an audience of friends. Not even about the guy who flaunts his culinary skills by doing dinner-party duty once a week.
Learning to cook allows you to perform that crucial task of feeding yourself without relying on others. It’s one of those basic manly life skills, like starting a fire or changing a tire, and cooking at home is vastly healthier than eating out, especially if “eating out” means grabbing fast food. At home, you can control the ingredients used and the cooking methods. There are no hidden ingredients in your kitchen. The kitchen may seem like an intimidating beast for anyone with limited experience in it, but cooking meals from scratch should be creative and fun. Just put faith in your taste buds and have no fear, because it’s easy to know what goes well together. Here is an easy “man-friendly” burger recipe, a hearty sandwich that can be customized with whatever is in your kitchen.
Beef Bacon Burger Sandwich
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 4 beef bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 450 grams ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 hamburger buns, split
- Lettuce, tomato, pickles for garnish
- Optional 2 slices bacon, diced and mushrooms
Preparation
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. In another bowl, combine the bacon, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixture and onion; crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.
Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side until juices run clear. Top with cheese. Cover and cook 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture over cut sides of bun bottoms. Layer with a lettuce, burger, and tomato and garnish with diced bacon, mushrooms and pickles. Replace tops.
