Rasheed Phillips- Smashburgers with Pickled Onions and Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds Ground Beef (80% lean or leaner)
• 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 to 3 minutes. Flip patties and cook until a meat thermometer reaches 160°F, an additional 1 to 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 to 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