Cooking with Fire: Arlington Heights firefighters share their peanut butter burger recipe

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - This morning, we're "Cooking with Fire" at the Arlington Heights Fire Department, making peanut butter burgers with firefighter paramedic Darla Pitts.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Burgers

Burgers

• 3 lbs of tri-blend ground beef
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¾ lb baby Swiss cheese

Candied Bacon

• 1 lb bacon (cut into thirds)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Additional Ingredients

• 6 pretzel buns
• Peanut butter
• Mayonnaise
• 6 fried eggs (over easy)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Burgers:
Mix all burger ingredients together in a bowl. Divide into six equal patties. Grill to your preferred doneness. Add Swiss cheese to the burgers about one minute before they’re ready to melt it perfectly.

2. Make the Candied Bacon:
Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Coat the bacon strips in the mixture. Take four pieces and cross them over each other to create a basket weave. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook at 375°F for 25 minutes. Set aside.

3. Fry the Eggs:
Cook six over-easy eggs, aiming to start about five minutes before the burgers are done. Timing is key, so enlist some help to remove the burgers from the grill while the eggs are finishing to prevent overcooking.

4. Assemble the Burgers:
Slice the pretzel buns in half. Spread peanut butter on the bottom bun and mayonnaise on the top bun. Stack the burger patty, bacon weave, and fried egg. Top with the bun.