Smoky Cherry Pepper Burgers

A smoky warm sauce made with smoked paprika and chipotle and a cherry pepper relish makes for the perfect summer toppings for these juicy cheeseburgers.

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper

For the Cherry Pepper Relish:

• 1 (16-ounce) jar sweet red cherry peppers, drained
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Burgers:

• 6 frozen beef patties
• 6 hamburger buns
• 6 slices American cheese
• 6-10 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and whisk until
   smooth. Set aside.
2. Remove the stems from the cherry peppers and place in a blender or bowl
   of a food processor. Add the honey and olive and blend until smooth and
   only seeds remain. Set aside.
3. Cook the beef patties on a grill or griddle according to the package
   directions and season with salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to the
   top of each burger at the end of cooking and allow it to melt before
   removing from the heat.
4. Spread a 1-2 tablespoons each of the sauce and relish on the top burger
   bun. Add a beef patty to the bottom bun, top with a few slices of bacon,
   place the top bun with the sauce on the patty and enjoy.