Poor Man Steaks

As a little girl my father made these often. Simple put, these are stuffed hamburgers! This is not how he does it. I never liked them as a child. Yep that's right! He stuffed these Poor Man Steaks with veggies I did not like. Now being a parent I don't understand why he just didn't make me one with "stuff" that I did like. I spent most of the meal picking out the onions and mushrooms. You can add them to yours but keep them outta mine!

These are best made a hour before you plan on cooking. They need to chill in the fridge for just a little bit so they don't fall apart on the grill.

I put "stuff" in mine that I know my brats won't complain about. Bacon, cheese and sauce. The Ballplayer surprised me tonight and said he would have enjoyed grilled onions. Wow that's a first! Next time I will do it! His taste is finally changing. It's evolving. He also asked me if I would open a restaurant in a couple years so he could eat at it. Hmmm either he likes momma's cooking or he's wanting free food.

You will want to make the bacon ahead of time. I know I've preached this before but just in case you missed it, take a cooling rack, place on a cookie sheet, place bacon on the cooling rack and cook in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them. It is easy to burn them. Once you cook your bacon this way, I promise you will not stand over a frying pan ever again!

Poor Man Steaks
1-2 lbs of ground beef (your preference)
1/2 pound of bacon cooked
4-6 slices of cheese
your favorite steak/BBQ steak (I'm using Country Bobs)
your favorite seasoning (I'm using Susie Q's but salt and pepper would be fine)

Optional fillings
grilled onions
grilled mushrooms
grilled bell peppers
Ortega Chilis


There is method to my madness. I like to get everything laid out in front in a conveyor belt fashion. Bacon...check! Sliced cheese....check! Bobs Country Sauce...check! Hamburger meat.....check! Now I use TWO plates. I make a patty on both plates. On one place all your "stuff" and cover with sauce.

Don't overstuffed. Daddy always overstuffed and the cheese would leak while cooking. I'm too much of a neat freak for that! Now take the second patty and cover. Crimp the edges. Take your time. Place on a platter. Once all your patties are formed, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

BBQ or grill until desired doneness. Be gentle. You don't want these breaking on the BBQ.

I serve with home fries seasoned with The Fireman's seasoning. The Ballplayer grabbed a bun for his. I can't. No really. I'm afraid my father might know and disapprove. No not really. I am just used to covering with Sauce and eating like a steak.

One note for my non beef eating readers; you can swap out the hamburger for ground turkey or chicken. If you chose to do so make sure you cook slow and keep it moist.