Cast Iron Skillet Cheeseburgers

I am obsessed with cheeseburgers. They are one of favorite things on earth. My husband and I are on a life long quest for a great burger. Sadly it's not always easy to find one. One of the best burgers I've ever had comes from this teeny tiny diner in my teeny tiny town. The diner doesn't even have a sign with it's name on it so I'm not even sure what it's called and the atmosphere is rather questionable. Let's just say I doubt my Mom would eat there but man, oh man they have the absolute best burger I've ever had. It got me on a mission to try and figure out the secret. And after many attempts, while I know I'll never get it exactly the same I've come up with something pretty darn close. I have a feeling that awesome burger from the diner with no name has something to do with the one woman run diner lady's magic hands. Nothing I can do about that.

Recipe:
1 lb ground beef
salt and pepper
garlic powder
1 tablespoon bacon fat (if you don't keep bacon fat stored in your refrigerator like I do, cook off a couple pieces of bacon first and turn this into a bacon cheeseburger)
4 thick slices cheddar cheese
4 slices tomato
1 small onion cut into large dice
4 pieces lettuce
mayonnaise
ketchup
4 hamburger buns

Directions:
1. Separate your beef into 4 patties. Shape the patties into rounds and flatten until they are 1/2" thick. Season on both sides with a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper and a light sprinkling of garlic powder.
2. Heat the bacon fat in a cast iron skillet to medium-high.
3. Making sure you don't crowd the pan place the patties in the skillet. You will likely have to work in batches. Cook the burgers on one side for 5-6 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook another 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium place the cheese on top of the burgers, cover with a lid and melt the cheese. Remove the burgers from the pan and set aside.
4. Halve the buns and place them cut side down in the pan. Cover the pan and heat the buns through (be careful not to burn them). Once the buns are heated through and a little toasted, remove them and assemble the burgers.

Serves 4