The Ultimate Bacon Cheddar Burger is here! Jazzed up with Cowboy Rub, thick cuts of peppered bacon, aged cheddar and crispy onion rings, your summer grill has never had it so good.
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How to Perfectly Grill A Burger
It has taken me quite some time (and a whole lot of practice) to be able to confidently grill up a burger. There are a hundred and one ways to grill a burger but, I find that it’s more important to focus on what NOT to do.
By following these three simple rules you can guarantee a tender, juicy result.
Don’t Over-Handle the Meat
Use gentle hands to create the meat mixture; avoid further mixing after the ingredients are well-combined. If you over-work the meat the resulting burger will be tough.
Flip the Burger Just Once
While on the grill, a burger only needs to be flipped once. To achieve medium-rare, cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add a minute to each side for the next level of doneness. Attempting to flip more than once will prevent the meat from cooking evenly and developing color.
Don’t Flatten
No matter what, do not use the spatula to flatten the patty while cooking. Doing so will only release juices and dry out the burger.
If you’re concerned about a domed top on your patty, simply use your thumb to imprint the middle of the meat before grilling. In one easy move you ensure an even, flat yet still juicy patty.
Voila! You now have the tools to be a grill master just like moi!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make the magic happen:
Cowboy Rub
Cowboy Rub contains spices such as ground garlic, various peppers, coffee, cocoa powder and a hint of hickory smoke.
Aged-Cheddar Cheese
After grilling the patties to perfection, I added a slice of aged cheddar cheese to each patty. The flavor was so rich and smooth and melted like a dream.
Peppered Bacon
For the bacon, I went with thick cut black pepper slices; the ground pepper adds a delightful bite. To evenly cook them, I put them in the oven instead of cooking them in a skillet.
Onion Rings
I went for the win by topping the burgers with my favorite crispy fried onion rings. With a hint of cornmeal and a spicy note of paprika and cayenne, these are golden brown, crunchy and absolutely sensational.
My Favorite Burger Recipes
Ultimate Bacon Cheddar Burger
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Ingredients
- 8 slices thick cut black pepper bacon
- 8 ground sirloin burger patties
- McCormick Grill Mates Cowboy Rub
- 8 slices aged cheddar cheese
- 16 crispy fried onion rings
- 4 toasted pretzel roll buns
- Optional: Lettuce and tomato for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and also preheat your grill to medium high heat.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, evenly lay bacon slices on the surface.
- Bake bacon for 15-20 minutes until deep brown and evenly crispy. Remove from oven and pat bacon on paper towels to remove bacon fat. Break each slice in half.
- Season all sides of patties with Cowboy Rub and pat into the surface of the meat.
- Grill all burgers on both sides until reaching desired doneness.
- Add a slice of cheese on each individual burger patty, allow to melt then remove patties from grill.
- To assemble, (optional) place lettuce and tomato on each bun bottom.
- Place two patties on top of lettuce and tomato then add four bacon halves to each burger.
- Lastly add two onion rings on top of bacon and finish with top bun on each burger and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I’ve never heard of cowboy rub, buyi think I need to get some asap! That burger looks insanely good!
That’s one amazing looking burger… it screams summer so hard! I like how you describe it as the burger of your dreams, it sure looks dreamy! 🙂
Now that is what I would call The Ultimate Burger for sure!
I want to dive into that burger!! That seasoning sounds amazing…plus bacon and onion rings. Girl you are totally undoing my diet!
Ha gosh I hate that your diet went goodbye with this!
Erin: We all need to treat ourselves once in awhile, then you can go back to your diet. I love food , but when one gets up to a senior @ 80 my stomach I believed has shrunk.
Okay, now this is one FANTASTIC burger recipe!! Look at that monster 🙂
Thank you so much!
These burgers look amazing! I am loving that pretzel bun!
I adore pretzel buns!
This burger really is the burger of my dreams!
Thank you doll!
This is, by far, my most favorite combination of things to put on a burger. Homemade onion rings are probably one of the greatest gifts to mankind. I can’t wait to grill this burger up this weekend!
I love onion rings so much too!
Now this is a burger!!!
Thank you so much Matt!
Dear Jocelyn, what an outstanding burger!! This is calling to me…I wish I had this for dinner tonight. Pinned for later. xo, Catherine
Thank you for the pin!