A classic bacon cheeseburger is delicious! We have all probably eaten one a hundred or more time in our lives. Grilling good cheeseburgers at home is not very difficult, and the burgers you will make will be much better than fast food. In this recipe, I will show you how to grill them up right, so they come out juicy and delectable every time.
Classic Bacon Cheeseburger Video
Classic Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe
Classic Bacon Cheeseburger
Equipment
- tray
- platter
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- charcoal grill
- starter chimney
- fire starter
- charcoal
- lighting torch
- large toothpicks
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 pound ground beef – 80% lean
- 1 tsp seasoned salt – such as Lawry’s
- 1 tsp seasoned pepper – such as Lawry’s
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 buns – brioche or kaiser
- 8 slices cheddar cheese – I like smokehouse cheddar slices
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 large tomato – sliced, garden fresh if possible
- 4 leaves iceberg lettuce
- 16 slices dill pickle – hamburger dill pickle slices
- ½ red onion – sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp mustard
Instructions
- Fry the bacon and set aside.4 slices thick cut bacon
- Separate one pound of burger meat into four ¼ pound patties. Using the back of a spoon, create a shallow indentation into each patty. Sprinkle seasoned salt and seasoned pepper onto one side of each patty. Fill the indentation with Worcestershire sauce. Rest uncovered until ready to grill, allowing the meat to come to room temperature.1 pound ground beef, 1 tsp seasoned salt, 1 tsp seasoned pepper, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Fill a starter chimney with high quality oak charcoal. Use a fire starter to light the charcoal. Allow the coals to catch while you toast the buns.
- Cut 1 tbsp butter into four slices. Bring a comal or cast-iron skillet up to medium heat. Add the butter, and place the inside of one bun half onto each piece of butter. Swirl the bun around to evenly coat the bun. Toast the buns until lightly browned.1 tbsp butter, 4 buns
- When the buns are lightly toasted, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Allow the coals to become red hot.
- When the coals are ready, empty them into your grill basin. Spread the coals around evenly.
- Add the grate to the grill, and brush off any soot.
- Open the vents all the way, and close the lid. Allow the grill to get very hot, and keep the lid closed for about 15 minutes to heat up the grate. You will lose much of the grill heat when you open the lid, but you want the grate to be very hot.
- When the grill is ready, open the lid. Allow some of the heat to escape before adding the burger patties. The temperature should be about 425 degrees when you add the patties. Add the patties with the sauce side up, and grill without turning for 3 minutes. Flip the patties and grill for 2 minutes more. If the fire flares up, move the patties to the outside of the grate out of the direct flame.
- Add two slices of cheese to each patty. Close the lid, and open the vent for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.8 slices cheddar cheese
- Remove the finished cheeseburger patties to a platter and rest for about 5 minutes.
- Tear each bacon slice in halve, then add both halves to each patty.
- Assemble the burgers. Add mayonnaise to the bottom bun. Add a patty with the cheese and bacon. Add tomato slices, lettuce leaves, pickle slices, and onion slices if desired. Add mustard to the top bun.4 leaves iceberg lettuce, 1 large tomato, 1/2 red onion, 16 slices dill pickle, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp mustard
- Cut the burgers in half. Add a large toothpick through each half to keep it together and serve.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Beef Levels of Doneness
This classic bacon cheeseburger recipe will produce medium-done burgers. Medium-rare beef has an internal temperature of 135 degrees. Medium is 145 degrees. Medium well is 150 degrees. The best flavor will come from medium-rare to medium doneness. Use a digital probe thermometer to get the temperature to your preference. Adjust the cooking time by about 45 seconds to add or reduce the level of doneness.
Do I really need to rest the cooked burgers?
Yes! This will allow the juices to reabsorb and redistribute through the meat. It will produce a more juicy and delicious burger. If you don’t rest the meat after cooking, the juice will run out and the burgers will end up being much dryer and lower quality.
Do I really need them to warm the beef to room temperature before grilling?
Allowing the burger meat to come to room temperature will help keep creosote from forming on the patties when you cook. If the burgers are cold, condensation will form when you put them on the hot grill. This will trap soot from the grill smoke, turning the meat black with a bitter flavor.
What cheese other than cheddar is good?
You can’t go too far wrong with many kinds of cheese. Use whatever you like! You can make a great tasting bacon cheeseburger with any melty cheese, such as Swiss, Gouda, Pepper Jack, or American cheese. Get creative!
Quarter pound burgers are too small. Does this recipe scale?
Yes! You could make ⅓ pound patties, or even ½ pound patties. With 80% lean meat, they will shrink considerably when you cook them. You will need to add cooking time for larger patties. The cheese melting time is the same regardless of patty size. You might also adjust bun size to correspond with patty size.
Personally, I’m fine with a smaller patty. The flavor is just as good, and I have room for yummy side items like DaLynn’s Famous Potato Salad. Plus, DaLynn can’t manage a larger burger, so I end up with wasted food, or I end up over eating to finish hers off. Do what you feel is right for you, the choice is yours!
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