red-neck turtle burgers

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 pounds ground beef round
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (such as maui)
• 12 regular-sized hot dogs, halved crosswise
• 12 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Ready Time: 50 mins


• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c).
• mix ground beef, chives, salt, worcestershire sauce, and ground mustard thoroughly in a bowl; divide in fourths and make 4 thick oval-shaped burgers. top each burger with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and about 2 tablespoons of chopped sweet onion.
• poke 2 holes in the long ends of each burger with your fingers for the heads and tails. insert half a hot dog into the head and tail holes, letting the rounded ends of the hot dogs poke out about 1 1/2 inches. press to secure. poke 2 more holes on each side of the burger and insert 2 more hot dog halves on each side for legs. cut 2 small slits, about 3/4 inch long, into the ends of the legs to make toes. repeat with remaining ground beef, hot dogs, cheese slices, and onion to make 4 turtle burgers topped with cheese and onion. if desired, cut tails to small sharp points for more realism.
• place 3 halved bacon slices a work surface, sides touching. weave 3 more bacon slices into the first ones, facing 90 degrees to the first slices, to make a woven bacon piece; lay the woven bacon a burger, arranging bacon between heads, legs, and tails. secure with toothpicks. repeat with remaining bacon to make 3 more woven bacon pieces and cover remaining burgers with bacon.
• place a baking rack into a large roasting pan; lay the bacon-wrapped turtle burgers the rack and cover lightly with foil.
• bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are no longer pink in the middle and hot dog ends are browned, 20 to 30 minutes. an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a burger should read at least 160 degrees f (70 degrees c).