Top Secret Recipesversion of

Wendy's®Wild Mountain Bacon

Cheeseburgerby Todd Wilbur

  

     When you order one of these at Wendy's it probably won't look like the pretty picture, because something's missing. The extreme summer weather -- most notably the several hurricanes in Florida -- have put a huge ding in tomato supplies this year, driving prices through the roof. Since the cost of tomatoes has tripled, Wendy's has become one of the first national fast food chains to include tomatoes on sandwiches by request only. So, if you're a tomato lover, don't forget to ask. And while tomatoes are certainly an important ingredient to a perfect hamburger clone, the real secret to duplicating the taste of this new product is in recreating the spicy Southwestern pepper sauce, and that secret recipe is right here. You also want to find marbled yellow and white colby jack cheese to complete your homemade replica. You can find colby jack near the other sliced cheeses or in the deli section (Tillamook is one such brand). Cook up some bacon, slap it all together and you'll have one of the best homemade hamburgers to ever come out of your kitchen. And you can even add extra tomato slices.       

Southwestern Pepper Sauce1/3 cup mayonnaise3/4 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon cumin1/4 teaspoon minced garlic1/4 teaspoon lemon juice1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/8 teaspoon dried oreganopinch saltpinch granulated sugar

3 1/4 ounces ground beef 1 kaiser bun (no seeds)1 slice colby jack cheese2 slices cooked bacon1 leaf iceberg lettuce2 tomato slices2 red onion rings

1. Make the Southwestern pepper sauce by combining ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill the sauce until it's needed.2. Form the ground beef on wax paper into a square patty that is slightly bigger than the diameter of the bun. Put the patty into the freezer for at least 30 minutes so that it will firm

up. This prevents the ground beef from falling apart as it cooks.3. When you're ready to make the burger, heat up a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the faces of the kaiser bun on the skillet. When the faces of the bun are light brown, use the skillet to cook the beef patty. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the meat, then cook it for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until done. 4. Assemble burger by positioning the patty on the bottom bun. Place the slice of cheese on the beef, followed by the slices of cooked bacon. Place the lettuce leaf on the bacon, than add he tomato slices and onions. Spread about 1 tablespoon of Southwestern sauce on the face of the top bun. Flip the top over onto the rest of the sandwich and serve with a smile. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)

Makes 1 sandwich.

TidbitsWendy's also serves this sandwich with two patties. If you like your burgers thick, just add

another beef patty onto the first one (on top of the cheese), followed by another slice of colby jack.