1 pound ground chuck, 80/20 blend

1 ½ tsp. Sparkler, ghost pepper sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 large heirloom or beefsteak tomato cut into 4 thick slices

2 tsp. olive oil

1 head butter or bibb lettuce, separated into large leaves

1 red onion, peeled and cut into ⅛ inch slices

4 slices pepper jack cheese

4 brioche buns

3 Tbsp. softened butter

1 cup mayonnaise or your favorite burger sauce

Portion the ground chuck into 4 equal sized patties about ¼ of an inch thick.  Do not overwork the meat as you shape the patties and work quickly in order to keep the meat cold, once formed return the meat to the refrigerator.

Just before cooking your burgers spread the butter onto the cut sides of the buns, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat gently toast the buns until golden brown, spread a generous amount of mayonnaise onto the bottom half of each bun, top with lettuce leaves and set aside.

Lightly season the tomato slices with coarse salt or Sparkler ghost pepper sea salt and drizzle the olive oil over the face of each slice.

Warm a large cast iron skillet over high heat (if cooking indoors make sure your exhaust fan is running) or fire up your backyard grill, remove the burgers from the refrigerator and season liberally with Sparkler and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the burgers to the hot pan or the hottest part of your grill, sear for one minute. Working quickly flip the burgers and top each patty with a slice of pepper jack cheese, continue to cook for an additional 30 - 45 seconds, remove the burgers from the pan and place on the bottom half of each bun, resting atop the lettuce.

Top each burger with a slice of seasoned tomato, red onions and crown with the toasted bun