Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger

Name: Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced); 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced); ¼ tsp kosher salt; 1½ pounds ground beef; 1 large egg; ½ cup French-fried onions; 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded); 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp chipotle chili powder; 4 hamburger buns; 4 Tbsp barbecue sauce

ByDavid July 13, 2016June 23, 2021

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Break out the grill and serve up this Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger for dinner tonight!

We took Robbie out the other day to get some professional photos. Yes, they are a bit cheesy (aka glamour shot style), but they are also kinda fun. It wouldn’t be a proper childhood without some staged portraits in there somewhere. Plus, we need some cute photos to pull out later when he’s in high school…or better yet at his rehearsal dinner when he gets married!

On a side note, I spend many hours a day behind a camera taking pictures of food. But apparently taking pictures of food doesn’t translate to taking pictures of babies. I have much respect for people who can take good pictures of babies! At least my food doesn’t roll away…or drool…or cry.

We picked up our prints the other day, and we set up a big assembly line in the kitchen. Laura wrote cards to her family. I wrote cards to my family. Then we divided up the photos into each of the cards. We addressed our own respective cards, stamped them and then Laura left them in a pile on the kitchen counter.

You see, my wife won’t lick envelopes. I think it’s because she remembers the Seinfeld episode where George’s wife dies from licking too many envelopes. Either way, I get to lick all of the envelopes in this house. Blech.

I know I could get one of those tubes with a sponge on the end to help seal envelopes. But let’s be real. That’s just one more gadget that I don’t need in the kitchen drawer. I’d rather get a banana slicer before I get an envelope sealer. (Ok, maybe not. I don’t need either one. But you get my point here.) So I dutifully went along and licked all of the envelopes. Blech.

Why can’t the folks who make envelopes create a glue that tastes better? How about cheesecake flavored envelope glue? Or perhaps chocolate chip cookie envelope glue? Or let’s go savory and create a grilled cheeseburger envelope glue. No? Since that hasn’t happened (yet), I took the long way and just grilled up a delicious Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger for after the envelope licking marathon.

I typically use some sort of bread crumbs in my burgers. Sometimes it’s bread crumbs (like in these Italian Meatball Burgers), or sometimes it’s just crumbled saltines. But this time, I went big. I used French fried onions. Yup, the same French fried onions that go on top of green bean casserole. I’ve never been a huge fan of green bean casserole, but those French fried onions are delicious…so it makes sense that they’d be a great addition to a Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger, too!

As you guys know, we love grilling around here. I think the grill is out at least 4 or 5 nights a week. Sometimes it’s something simple like grilled veggies from the garden, while other times we go with grilled chicken or burgers. I gotta say that the Smoky Pepper and Onion Cheeseburger is now pretty high on my list of favorites…and that says a lot since I love a good burger! The smokiness comes from the bit of ground chipotle powder and barbecue sauce. Then add a pile of sauteed onions and peppers on this bad boy before serving, and it’s one epic summer meal. Happy grilling season, y’all!