Bison Burger:

1. Combine ground bison, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
2. Divide bison into equal portions and form into balls. Gently flatten and form into a patty (should be a little bit bigger/wider than a regular-sized burger bun as they will shrink a bit during cooking). Place on a plate and sprinkle the tops of bit more with additional salt and pepper.  At this point you can store in the refrigerator for later if you are prepping them ahead of time. 
3. Ensure grill grates are clean and turn grill to medium-high heat. Spray grates with olive oil (or other non-stick spray of your choosing). 
4. Place bison patties over direct heat and let cook 3-4 minutes per side or until they have reached your desired doneness/internal temperature.  Use an internal meat thermometer. 135-145 degrees F. is a medium-rare burger. 
5. If you are adding cheese to your bison burger add when there are about 2-3 minutes left in your cook time – the cheese will continue to melt after you take the burgers off the grill. 
6. Remove burgers from grill and place on a plate; let rest 5-8 minutes. 

Whiskey Onions:

1. Bring a medium/large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. 
2. Add olive oil; swirl to coat the pan.
3. Add in 1 tablespoon whiskey followed by the onions. Sprinkle onions with salt and pepper.
4. Move onions around the pan slowly as they begin to cook. 
5. Caramelized Onions: Cook low and slow for up to 30 minutes, moving around every so often – the longer you cook them the more caramelized they will get – alternatively you can simply saute on high heat for a more charred result. Add in remaining whiskey right before you remove from heat and serve.

Smokey Sauce:

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Feel free to double the recipe, if needed.

Build Burger:

1. Place lettuce on top of the bottom bun followed by some Smokey Sauce.
2. Place burger on top. 
3. Top burger with Whiskey Onions and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Place other half of bun on top. Enjoy!