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Fussy's Black-Eye Burgers

(Burgers)
1 1-lb package sliced bacon
1 15-oz can of blackeye peas, drained and rinsed
1 10-oz can diced tomatoes & green chiles, pressed
1 egg
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 King's Hawaiian Sweet hamburger buns, griddle toasted
4 slices baby swiss
1 plum tomato, sliced
(Sauce)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
dash of worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt

Fry all bacon until crispy in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. To ensure uniformity in cooking, cut all the slices in half, and cook in batches. Reserve the drippings. Set aside enough bacon to garnish burgers, 8 small half-strips. Chop all remaining bacon finely. In a large mixing bowl mash blackeye peas into a paste like consistency. Stir in canned tomatoes/green chiles, chopped bacon, white pepper, and egg. Slowly stir flour into mixture. The paste should begin to slightly clump as you stir. If this does not happen, slowly stir in one more tbsp of flour.
Form mixture into four even patties. Fry in reserved bacon drippings over medium high heat. About 5-7 minutes for each side. Patties should be crispy on the outside. Just before removing from skillet, top each patty with a slice of swiss.
Whisk together all sauce ingredients, and apply a smear to each bottom bun. top each with patty melt, tomato and bacon slices, and you're ready to chow down!

It is very important to press as much moisture from the canned tomatoes as possible. The more moist your paste, the more flour you will have to add to make it bind. Too much flour will give the patties an undesirable starchy flavor. Julia Child was fond of saying that the best utensils in any kitchen are your own two hands. That's how I do it. I squeeze the heck out of it until there in almost no juice remaining.