Bacon & Bleu Pork Burgers

Nothing beats Summer like a juicy, grilled burger.

This bacon and bleu cheese stuffed burger comes topped with a creamy Russian dressing and pretty much makes dreams come true.

This post is sponsored by Iowa Pork.

Bacon & Bleu Pork Burgers. #ad #iowapork #sweetsavoryeats

My birthday is in mid-August and I always request burgers for my dinner celebration. The family and I just got back from a short vacation and I ate burgers twice in four days. I have multiple burgers on my website and I will continue creating new varities until this blog dies.

That my friends should tell you HOW MUCH I LOVE A GOOD BURGER.

The iconic burger screams Americana and since we are smack dab in the middle of Summer, I had no choice but to feature this insanely good one in partnership with Iowa Pork. I wanted to show off a great pork burger {if you haven't tried using ground pork in your grilled burger, please get on the train}.

This one fits the bill.

Pork is BIG in Iowa.

Huge.

We take a lot of pride in our pork production. I've been cooking with it for years. We love my Unstuffed Egg Roll Bowls, my classic Iowa Ham Balls, this comforting Lasagna Soup and my sweet and tangy BBQ pulled pork pizza.

Don't believe me? Take a look at these Iowa Pork Farmers. You may be surprised just how much you have in common with these farmers here in Iowa. They care about the environment, they want their animals to be cared for properly and they really care about us, the consumer.

Now, I have always enjoyed a burger topped with bleu cheese. In fact if it's on a restaurant menu, there is about a 90% chance I'll order it every stinking time.

Think you don't like bleu cheese? Not sure? GIVE IT A WHIRL!

I promise the combination in this burger of caramelized, sweet onion, bleu cheese, bacon and a creamy Russian sauce comes together perfectly. Even my husband who "kinda" likes bleu cheese loved these burgers and gobbled down two in about 15 minutes.

They are smokey and tangy and juicy and just well....amazing.

Ground pork generally has a pretty mild flavor, so I knew I wanted to jazz these up! It also has many nutrients that are immune boosters - vitamin B6, zinc and selenium.

Iowa Pork has always been on my side, we've partnered together many times of the years. They know I can come up with some yummy grub.

When they saw the idea for these Bacon & Bleu Pork Burgers - it was game on! We grilled them up on a Friday night after a long week and it was just the perfect ending. We sat on our deck, enjoyed the weather, poured a cocktail and wiped the drool off our chins.

And we haven't even talked about bacon {another pork favorite} and my homemade Russian dressing {which I prefer to eat by the spoonful} or the caramelized onions sauted to their ultimate sweetness.

I've been known to cook up a pound of bacon at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge to use in various ways throughout the week - BLT's, in breakfast burritos, in wraps and FOR THESE BURGERS.

I had cooked up my bacon earlier in the day, so I simple cut each strip in half and crossed them on top of these patties. They held that bleu cheese perfectly.

And that dressing? It's a mayo/ketchup combo, filled with tangy pickles and seasonings. If you love that "special sauce" on Big Macs, this is pretty similar. Once you make it, you'll be slathering it on every burger from here on out.

And those onions? You cook them down to almost nothing and they are sweet and just incredible.

I cannot wait for you to try these!

Make sure you grab some strong, sturdy hamburger buns at the grocery story {I used broiche here}, there is a lot of weight to these pork burgers!

Do me a favor - let me know how they turn out! Pin them on Pinterest and share with your pork loving friends. I pretty much want everyone to see these and give them a chance.

A big thanks to Iowa Pork for sponsoring this post.