Give your basic burger patty a boost by blending it with flavorful spices before grilling, then top it off with fried tomatoes and homemade bacon onion jam—yum!

Preparation

To make the bacon jam, render the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Strain off fat and reserve bacon. 

Place a medium sauce pot on medium-low heat. Add the vegetable oil and onions, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegars, brown sugar and rendered bacon. Cook on medium heat until liquid is reduced to a medium syrup. Remove from heat and reserve warm.

To make the burger patties, mix 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and granulated garlic into the ground beef. Form into 2 equal patties. Season the outside of the patties with ½ tablespoon of Cajun seasoning each, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Grill patties to your desired doneness over medium-high heat. Top with the sliced cheese for the last minute of grilling to warm the cheese through.

For the fried tomatoes, mix together Cajun seasoning, cornmeal and flour. Dip the tomatoes in buttermilk and then into the cornmeal mixture to coat well. Heat the vegetable oil (approximately ¼ inch deep) to medium-high heat and pan fry the tomatoes until golden brown on each side.

For the burger fixings, mix the herbs with olive oil in a small bowl and season with salt. Toast the pretzel buns on the grill until golden brown.

To assamble, spread the bacon jam on each bun. Top the bottom bun with the burger patty and cheese, fried tomato, herb salad and top bun.