Smashed Bacon Double Cheeseburgers

Watch my best smash burger recipe web story here.

This was really good. I loved having the grilled onions in between the burger patties. It seems to keep the burgers nice and juicy.

Elly Smisek on Pinterest

I like a good burger every once in awhile. I’ve made a couple of epic burgers in my time including my Got to be NC Burger, the Bloody Mary Meatloaf Burger, and even a copycat Big Mac that also happens to be a great Bison Burger recipe.

As tasty as these burgers were–and boy were they!–I didn’t want to eat more than one, or maybe two over the course of a few days. After that, I was fine living in my burgerless world.

But today? Today I am bringing you a burger of such deliciousness, that I have eaten three of them in the past two days, one for breakfast this morning. Breakfast, people!

Why This Recipe Works

What sets this particular bacon cheeseburger apart from the rest? I shall tell you, and then you can decide for yourself if you’d like to make this recipe.

If you’re drooling by the time you finish reading the description, a smashed burger is definitely for you!

• Caramelized onions: lend a savory sweetness and finger-licking goodness to the burger. You may also substitute onion jam for the caramelized onions
• Brioche buns toasted in a little bacon fat adds texture and smoky flavor to the bun
• Melty, melty American cheese–arguably a good burger’s best friend. 2 slices per burger!
• Perfectly cooked bacon–not too crispy, but crisp-chewy so it doesn’t shatter when you bite into your burger
• A burger sauce made to enhance and not hide the flavor of your beef
• Customizable: once you have the basics down, feel free to pile on your favorite toppings. But please try them at least once just the way the recipe is written.
• I highly suggest adding a bit of my bacon jam to your burger, either mixed into the ground beef or as a condiment spread on top. So much flavor!

What is a smashed burger?

First time making smash burgers and they were delicious! This will definitely be a regular in our house!

Pinner Shelly

I don’t have a Smashburger restaurant near me, but I have eaten smashed burgers before. I’m pretty sure you have, too.

If you’ve ever ordered a burger at a diner, and your burger comes thin with crispy edges, then you’ve had a smashed burger.

I practiced my technique a few times to make sure I could tell you guys how to do it.

And then I got cooking, because there’s only so much research you can do before you have to go for it. Besides, I was hungry.

Why smash a burger?

There are lots of reasons that smashing your burger patty before building the ultimate bacon double cheeseburger:

• Tons of flavor from all the Maillard reactions that happen when a burger is smashed against a searing hot piece of metal.
• Fast cooking means the burger gets to your mouth in record time.
• Since there’s more surface area and a higher crust to interior ratio, a smashed burger is all about the savory umami goodness.

But Are They Juicy?

As long as you smash them one time right when they hit the griddle and then leave them alone, resisting the urge to smash them again when you turn them, they retain a reasonable amount of juiciness, which I upped with a couple of pieces of super melty American cheese and a nice layer of caramelized onions between the two patties.

They’re not as juicy as a big fat burger, but what you lose in juiciness is more than made up for in crispy, savory, meaty goodness.

Plus, it is really pretty fun to smash a ball of ground meat super flat. So there’s that.

Trust me, the bottom line is that you will want to make a smashed double cheeseburger or 7 for yourself.

Excellent recipe, they turned out amazing I’ll definitely be making these again!

Pinner Jon

Equipment You’ll Need

You will need to make sure you have a good surface to cook on–something the burger will stick to in order to build up a crust. You don’t want manufactured non-stick here. We want the burger to basically adhere to the cooking surface until it’s ready to let go!

Plus, you need a good burger smasher and scraper. What I linked to comes as a set, but you can also search individually to find a combination that works best for you.

And now, let’s make some of these guys, shall we?

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make the best bacon cheeseburgers you’ll ever have. And if I’m wrong, you know where to find me!

• ground chuck: For smashed burgers, I really do recommend 80/20 ground beef. You need that fat to maintain juiciness in such a thin burger. You can possibly get away with 85/15 if you use a little oil in your pan. But try 90/10 or 93/7, and you’ll definitely want to add some minced raw bacon into the mix to add in some extra fat
• salt & pepper: You’ll need this for both sprinkling on the patties and making the caramelized onions. And you’ll need some black pepper for the burger sauce. You won’t need salt though, because the Worcestershire has that covered!
• olive oil: You can substitute any oil here, really. Since you’re caramelizing at very low temperatures, you don’t have to be too concerned about the smoke point of your oil. You can even use bacon fat and/or butter. Or save a few calories and just toast the buns in a dry pan, in a toaster oven, or under your broiler
• sweet onions: I love Vidalias and use them whenever they’re in season. If you can’t find Vidalias, worry not. Use any onions labeled “sweet.” And if all you have or can find are “storage onions,” go ahead and use those, but add a tablespoon or so of sugar or balsamic vinegar to your pan to help sweeten them up just a touch
• Mayonnaise: My preference is Duke’s, because I’m from the south. Use your favorite mayo, but don’t substitute a sweeter one like Kewpie or a “salad dressing” like Miracle Whip. Those are too sweet for the sauce
• Worcestershire sauce: brings so much flavor and mixes really well with the burger juices to provide a simple yet magical sauce. Seriously.
• American cheese: for ultimate meltability. You can substitute your favorite sliced cheese (or slice your own favorite), but American cheese on a burger is classic
• Bacon and bacon fat: You can’t very well have a bacon burger without bacon. Use a nice thick-cut bacon that stands up to 2 patties worth of beef. I call for 3 strips per burger, but I will not send the burger police after you if you use more or less or even leave it off entirely. You’ll still have a Most Excellent double cheeseburger, regardless
• Brioche burger buns: I bought brioche buns at the grocery. They are a bit rich, so if you’d like to use a leaner bun, grab “regular” burger buns, wither with or without seeds. Or you can make your own burger buns if you’re feeling very DIY. You can try this really solid and easy basic burger bun recipe from King Arthur flour or go for something a little fancier with homemade pretzel buns or even oversized homemade English muffins.

How to Make a Double Cheeseburger

1. Caremelize the onions, low and slow, until deeply golden brown.
2. Cook the bacon until crisp-chewy. You don’t want it to shatter when you bite into it.
3. Toast your burger buns lightly in a bit of bacon fat.
4. Mix the sauce ingredients together.
5. Weigh out your ground beef into 2 oz balls.
6. In a hot (NOT nonstick), dry skillet, place 2 of the “meatballs,” and press them down firmly with a large spatula or bacon press.
7. Thin out the edge by pressing down even more.
8. Let cook for 2 minutes or so.
9. Scrape the burger off the pan and flip to cook an additional minute.
10. Add cheese to both patties and some caramelized onions to one of them.
11. Stack the two patties together with the onions in the middle.
12. Assemble your burgers, and devour.

NOTE: The photo shows how I made a different smashed burger, so you won’t see the onions or cheese on both patties. Still, the procedure for pressing the burgers is the same.

My husband said these were the best burgers I’ve ever made! He even liked the mayo sauce better than ketchup.

Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. Yum!

Reader Stephanie

Helpful Tips

These burgers cook quickly, so have all your other components ready to go. If you are cooking a lot of burgers, keep them warm in a 200F oven or toaster oven.

Smash the burgers are thin as possible. They will contract some as they cook, and you want to make sure they cover the whole bun.

Q & A

More Smashed Burgers to Try

Since I made this, my first smashed burger recipe, I have made more. And more.

I kind of can’t get enough, and I don’t have to worry about making a dimple in the center of a thick patty so it doesn’t seize up like a puck when I cook it!

Aside from my BBQ Bacon Smashed Burger I linked to at the top of the post, you may also enjoy my Smashed Reuben Burger or my latest, the ever so delicious Epic Onion Burger Recipe.

Questions

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

And if you end up eating one of these for breakfast, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Thanks for spending some time with me today, friends. Enjoy the best bacon cheeseburger(s) you may ever have the pleasure of eating, and have a lovely day.

Watch my best bacon cheeseburger web story here.