Pimento Cheese Burgers - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Pimento Cheese
4 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, room temperature
16 tablespoons mayonnaise, room temperature
8 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces jarred diced pimento pepper, drained
4 tablespoons bread and butter pickle juice
2 tablespoons horseradish
4 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Honey Slaw
8 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons honey
5 cups shredded cabbage
32 slices thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon
Patties
5 lbs ground chuck
1 lb cured and smoked country ham, finely chopped (or chopped in a food processor)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
16 large hamburger buns
4 1/2 ounces potato chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To prepare Pimento Cheese, in a medium mixing bowl, combine Cheddar and Jack cheeses, mayonnaise, cream cheese, pimento peppers, pickle juice, horseradish sauce, and mustard; mix until well combined. Refrigerate. (make at least 2 hours ahead of time).
To prepare Honey Slaw, in a small mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, honey, and cabbage; mix until well combined. Refrigerate.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping once. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat from the pan.
To make the patties, combine the beef, country ham, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into equal portions and form into patties to fit the buns.
Cook patties on a charcoal or gas grill until medium.
Meanwhile, place buns on a rack in the oven. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes.
To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of Pimento Cheese on the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom (on top of the Pimento Cheese), place a thin layer of Honey Slaw. Top the slaw with a burger patty, 2 slices of bacon, and crushed potato chips. Add the bun tops. Place the completed hamburgers on a nonstick baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 minute.