Grilled cheeseburgers, with bacon, avocado and ciabatta rolls...

Grilled cheeseburgers, "California style..." If you're a fan of a great burger, it just doesn't get any better...

Photo: I'm one of these types that likes to get everything assembled, and ready to go, as when the meat patties are grilled, and the buns are toasted, the action happens fast. The ciabatta rolls were pre-basted with melted butter, and chipotle mayonnaise, purchased in Mexico. The 1/4-pound beef patties were rubbed with Pappy's rub which is my de facto standard rub. Condiments include bacon, avocado, Provolone cheese, tomato, lettuce and onion. The grill is smokin' hot, and tonight, I'm smokin' with hickory wood for that smoky flavor, on this Friday evening, February 07, 2014.

Photo: My Weber Genesis 3000LX propane grill, that has been serving me faithfully since 1998, is smokin' hot, and I'm ready to place the meat on the grill. I've rebuilt this grill three times, but there will be no more rebuilds, as when "rebuilding" time comes again, it will be replaced with a stainless steel, "state of the art" Weber grill. But, it keeps on grillin' after all these years, so what more could you ask for?

Photo: Timing can be tricky when you're grilling quarter pound meat patties at 400 degrees! All you want to do is to sear the meat on both sides, which only takes a couple of minutes or so per side. The bacon should be grilled before placing on the meat, which is also very tricky. Then the buns... OK, this is what I do... Place the meat on the grill, then the rolls, butter or mayonnaise side down. Then the bacon. Wait a minute... take a couple of sips of beer. Remove bacon from grill and place on a plate. Another swig of beer. Check rolls for grill marks. Grill marks... check. More beer. Remove rolls from grill and place on plate next to bacon. Swallow at least half of a pint of beer. Flip meat, as by now, I "know" it is seared, and has grill marks! Yeah, really... Another gulp of beer... Place two slices of Provolone cheese on meat, and then add bacon. Cook for about a minute. Maybe run inside to frantically grab another beer. Pop the top!! Return rolls to the grill so the "top" of them can toast. One minute later, remove everything from grill, and head to the kitchen. Yeah! It all worked out, so it's time for another beer! It's always 5 o'clock when I'm grilling burgers...

Photo: Grilled components, "resting," and ready to assemble into a great burger. The "bottom" half of the ciabatta rolls were basted with melted butter, while the "top" halves were coated with chipotle mayonnaise, imported from Mexico, from my last trip to Mexico. Of course, the rolls were toasted on the grill. The grilled hamburger patties feature melted Provolone cheese, grilled bacon, topped with homemade Kansas City style barbecue sauce. Lettuce, tomato and avocado await to be assembled on the burger. Oh yes, there are grilled - note the grill marks - potato strips to be served with the burgers.

Photo: I put all of the components from the preceding photo together, added some mustard to the burgers, and some ketchup to the fries, and here's my dinner. Two "California style" cheeseburgers on ciabatta rolls, along with grilled potato strips. Yes, I enjoy my own cooking!

Photo: Two days later, Sunday, February 9, 2014, I decided to enjoy a "repeat," but due to the 2.5" of rain we'd received in the last 24 hours, I elected to grill indoors, using my George Foreman electric grill. The Foreman does a credible grilling, it's easy, and it's fast. Of course, it lacks the flavor of an outdoor grill, but sometimes you just sacrafice ease for flavor. Considering that hamburger patties are thin, and normally just seared, the lack of flavor isn't really a giagantic factor in the equation...

Photo: Grilled burger, and grilled potato strips, along with ketchup for dipping, are ready for tonight's dinner.

Photo: Tonight, I elected to enjoy dinner on the patio, by the light of the kerosene lantern, and by the warmth of the propane fire. A cold glass of Tecate beer always makes dinner just a tad more delicious! Muy sabroso!

Photo: February 12, 2014, I enjoy a variant, only tonight, I used French bread, and shaped the patty to match the bread. Bread was grilled on both sides, using my trusty indoor George Foreman grill. It worked out great!

My cheeseburgers certainly share multi-cultural influences, as they feature ciabatta rolls, Italian Provolone cheese, chipotle mayonnaise purchased in Mexico, and homemade Kansas City style barbecue sauce. Oh, may I say these are good burgers?

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