Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Surprise 'Poor Man' Fillets

As I've indicated in the past my kids are fairly picky.  There are not many foods that they all agree on.  This makes creating a meal that everyone loves 'bang-your-head-against-the-wall-frustrating' kind of tricky for good ol' Mom.  This recipe is no exception.  Missy Moo, a non-meat lover didn't rave about it but both of my boys loved it.  Two out of three ain't bad.

See, there are certain factors that make a meal stellar with my menfolk.  Cheese, beef and bacon.  {Cue chest thumping and cave man sounds}  They are but simple folk.  If it had a mother, they'd probably eat it.  Add cheese on it and some BBQ sauce and you might even get a 'Mom, this is really good!' {Sweeter words were never spoken}

When I told my menfolk about what I was concocting in the kitchen Boy 2 was uber excited because he considers himself a connoisseur of meatloaf and bacon.  Although he did say that his patty reminded him of a Boston Crème Donut with it's shape and BBQ sauce/icing on top.  I can't say that he's wrong but this, friend, is no donut.

Remember those delicious beef fillets that you'd get that were wrapped in a thick slice of bacon??  Well, this isn't one of those ... but it is a cheaper version with a few extras thrown in for good measure.  Picture it if you will, a nicely spiced homemade meat patty that envelopes some cubes of cheese.  This patty is then hugged by a delicious piece of bacon (mmmm, bacon) and then topped with a hickory BBQ sauce.  These were on the big side for Missy Moo and I so we shared on between us and it was plenty big for the two of us.

Not only was this meal a hit with the men but it's so easy to make and can even be made ahead of time. I'm thinking that I may serve this up for the next big family function.  So, if you're looking for a meal that's easy to prep and has a good chance in getting favourable reviews from your family you might want to give this recipe a try.

Yield: 4 patties

1lb ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I used Kraft's 'Hickory')
1 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice (or to taste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4  pieces Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 slices of bacon

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine beef, eggs, oats, BBQ sauce, Montreal steak spice and garlic.  Combine well.  Divide the meat into four parts.  Take each portion and place a Cheddar chunk into the centre.

Using your hands fold the meat around the cheese and form into a burger patty -- try to make them flat and not like a giant meatball. (Hopefully YOUR hands won't resemble an uncooked chicken thigh. Ew.  Hand model I am not). Set the patty aside and repeat for the other three patties.

Place a piece of bacon around each patty and secure each end of the bacon with a toothpick.  Place bacon-wrapped patty onto the prepared pan. Repeat for the other patties.

Note: At this point you can place your burgers in the fridge (or I can't see why you couldn't freeze them to use at a later date), if you're not cooking them right away.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Make sure the internal temperature is 160F.  Remove from oven and pour some extra BBQ sauce on top of each patty. Return patties to the oven and set the oven to broil.  Watch carefully and remove once bacon has begun to crisp a bit.

Serve immediately with garlic mashed potatoes and get ready for some High Fives from your carnivorous peeps.

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