Julie Clark
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BBQ Bacon Burgers
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This BBQ Bacon Burgers recipe is packed full of flavor and loaded with cheese, bacon and all your favorite burger toppings. This isn’t your standard burger patty. It’s loaded with flavors of dark brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
The key to a great hamburger is to not overwork the ground beef when mixing and shaping. Keep the mixture loose and you’ll end up with a tender burger with great texture. There’s no flour or egg in this bbq burgers mixture. It’s all about the meat.
About this BBQ Bacon Burger Recipe
This BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger recipe is inspired by my favorite dinner at several local restaurants. I crave those big, juicy burgers. The homemade version didn’t disappoint!
We don’t have a Smashburger near us, but when we travel, you can bet that burger shack is where we end up. Make these bbq bacon burgers smash-style! Make balls of ground beef mixture and flatten them with a grill press (or heavy spatula) on a Blackstone griddle like a Smashburger. Or cook them on a traditional grill. Both ways are delicious!
During the summer you can find these on our menu weekly, served alongside homemade baked beans, potato salad, strawberry pie and sherbet punch.
Enjoy! – Julie
Ingredients for BBQ Bacon Burgers
- What is the right kind of beef for burgers? Choose about an 80-85% lean ground chuck. You can use a leaner cut of ground beef, but the burgers might be drier. Ground chuck gives great flavor. You can also use ground sirloin.
- We used pantry staples for the burger seasonings: chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Worcestershire sauce enhances the flavor of beef.
- And brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness. Don’t skip that step…it really makes a difference.
How to Make BBQ Bacon Burgers
- In a large mixing bowl, gently mix ground beef with the spices and Worcestershire sauce. Be careful not to over mix, which can cause the burger to be tough instead of tender.
- Form 4-6 large patties with the ground beef. Or shape balls instead if you want to “smash” them down on the griddle like a Smashburger. If you’d like smaller burgers or are making sliders, just form more patties.
- Preheat the grill or griddle to at least 400º Fahrenheit. Once grill has preheated cook burgers 4-5 minutes per side, or until the burgers reach 160º Fahrenheit. For smash burgers, smash the patties immediately after placing them on the grill.
- Top the hamburger patty with a slice of cheese before removing them from the grill.
- Place down a hamburger bun, then pile the burgers high with crispy bacon strips, a lettuce leaf, a tomato slice, homemade bbq sauce and red onions or french fried onions. Then place the top bun on top of it all.
Make it a meal.
What should you serve with bbq bacon burgers? Try one of these picnic foods:
And try our ranch seasoning popcorn for an after meal snack!
Other Burger Recipes
BBQ Bacon Burgers with Cheese
This BBQ Bacon Burger recipe is packed full of flavor and is one of the juiciest hamburgers I've had yet.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the burgers:
- 1 ½ pounds ground chuck 80-85% lean
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
Optional Toppings:
- 4-8 slices cheddar cheese
- sliced tomatoes
- french fried onions (or sliced red onions)
- cooked bacon slices
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- lettuce
- 4 burger buns
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently mix ground beef with seasonings and worcestershire sauce. Be careful not to overmix. 1 ½ pounds ground chuck, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- Form 4 large patties with the ground beef and set to the side. Or you can make burger "balls" to smash down onto a preheated griddle like we do in the video below.
- Preheat the grill to at least 400º Fahrenheit. Once grill has preheated cook burgers 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature tests 165ºF. If smashing the patties, do that immediately after placing them on the grill.
- Once burgers are just about done, top burgers with 1-2 slices of cheese. Continue to cook to allow cheese to melt. 4-8 slices cheddar cheese
- To assemble burgers, add lettuce to the top of the bottom bun, then a burger, then tomato, onions, barbecue sauce, french fried onions and bacon. Place the bun on top of the burger and serve. sliced tomatoes, french fried onions, cooked bacon slices, ¼ cup BBQ sauce, lettuce, 4 burger buns
Video
Notes
- You can also cook these burgers on the stove top in a cast iron skillet.
- Do you grill burgers with the lid open or closed? Leave the grill lid closed as much as possible. This just makes the oven have a more uniform heat which will help the burgers cook more evenly.
- How do you keep burgers from sticking to the grill? The easiest way is to heat the grill to over 400ºF before you throw the patties on. Do this and you’ll no longer have to use aluminum foil. No more meat sticking to the grill!
- Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2.7mg
Can you make the burgers in advance? I’m planning a bbq and would like to make them a day or two in advance, then keep them in the fridge. If so, should I bring them to room temperature before cooking? Thank you!
GREAT RECIPE
YEEESSSSSSSS
Hi, before the actual instructions of the recipe you say something about putting mayo and bbq sauce in the patties when you make them. But that isn’t listed in ingredients or instructions. Can you please clarify this for me?
Thanks,
Melinda
These burgers were awesome! Came out so juicy and the flavor of the meat was a but spicy but perfect. The bbq sauce and bacon on top were do die for. I used primal kitchen bbq sauce since it is my favorite dressing/sauce brand.