Rasheed Phillips- Smashburgers with Pickled Onions and Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds Ground Beef (80% lean, 20% fat)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 10 slices American cheese
• crumbled blue cheese
• hamburger buns

Pickled Onions:

• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt 

COOKING:

1. Preheat griddle flat top over medium-high heat until hot and evenly heated. 
2. Divide the ground beef into equal portions, about 1/4 pound each. Roll each portion into a loose ball. Place onto hot griddle and flatten with a sturdy spatula or burger press to create a thin patty. Season with salt and pepper. 
3. Cook patties until they develop a crust on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip patties and cook until a meat thermometer reaches 160°F, an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side. During the last minute of cooking, place a slice of American cheese on top of each patty to melt. 
4. Toast the burger buns on the griddle flat top until lightly browned. Place a patty on the bottom halves of buns. Top patties with a generous amount of pickled onions and blue cheese crumbles. Close the burger with the top halves of buns.

Pickled Onions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, granulated sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Add the thinly sliced red onions to the boiling liquid; turn off the heat. Let the onions stand in pickling mixture 15-20 minutes. The longer they sit, the tangier and more flavorful they become. 

Nutrition information per serving, 10 servings: 684 Calories; 37.8 g Total Fat (16.0 g Saturated Fat; 1.5 g Trans Fat; 1.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat; 14.5 g Monounsaturated Fat); 165.0 mg Cholesterol; 1326.0 mg Sodium; 32.0 g Total Carbohydrate; 1.2 g Dietary Fiber; 10.0 g Total Sugars; 5.0 g Added Sugars; 51.0 g Protein; 421.7 mg Calcium; 6.2 mg Iron; 722 mg Potassium; 0.2 mcg Vitamin D; 0.7 mg Riboflavin; 15.7 mg Niacin; 0.7 mg Vitamin B6; 4.8 mcg Vitamin B12; 587 mg Phosphorus; 10.9 mg Zinc; 51.0 mcg Selenium; 147.2 mg Choline