The All-American Burger

2          pounds ground beef round or chuck (freshly ground if possible)
1½       teaspoons kosher salt
¾         teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½         teaspoon garlic powder
3          tablespoons crumbled blue cheese, divided
6          hamburger buns, for serving

Nutritional information per burger:

Calories 283 (54% from fat) • carb. 0g • pro. 31g • fat 16g • sat. fat 7g• chol. 101mg • sod. 549mg • calc. 42mg • fiber 0g

1.  Fit the Griddler®  Deluxe with the grill plates and preheat both plates to 450˚F.
2.  Working the ground chuck as little as possible, mix in a large bowl with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Shape into 6 patties, about 4 inches in diameter. The best way to do this is to use a 4-inch round cookie cutter: Divide meat equally into six portions, put each into into the cookie cutter and gently press to evenly fill. All burgers should be the same thickness for optimal results. Use your thumb to press a dimple into the center of each patty.
3.  When the unit has preheated, place the burgers on the lower grill plate, evenly spaced.  Using the cover height adjuster, close the upper plate so the hinge is set to the position where the upper grill plate is just sitting on the burgers without pressing them.
4.  Contact grill for 5 minutes for rare burgers (this will result in a medium-rare burger by the end of cooking). Then open the unit and top with the blue cheese, ½ tablespoon per burger. Setting the cover height adjuster, close the upper grill plate so it is sitting over the blue cheese but not touching it. Grill for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is just melted.
5.  Remove burgers and serve immediately.
NOTE: For toasted buns, halve the buns and grill in the Closed position, using the cover height adjuster so that the upper plate is just touching the tops of the buns. Grill for about 30 seconds right after finishing burgers.