Hang onto your hats, friends! I hope you are ready for some double bacon bbq burger deliciousness! I love a good smashed burger recipe, and this one is On Point.
This post was part of an incredible giveaway hosted by Girl Carnivore and as such is a sponsored post. I received some goodies from our sponsoring brands, and the recipe I cooked up is my own. And now I’m sharing with you!
Keep on reading to learn all about smashed burgers, why they’re so awesome, and how to make some mean lacquered BBQ bacon, and how to make the burgers.
Another good one to try is the classic smashed double bacon cheeseburger.
Find more of my epic burger recipes! Thanks for stopping by!
Hooray for Burger Month!
I think this is the 4th or 5th time I’ve participated in Burger Month, and it is always a Most Excellent Time. In previous years, I’ve made my Got to Be NC Burger, a Bloody Mary Meatloaf Burger, and a Reuben Smashed Burger.
I even make burgers when it isn’t burger month, like my first ever smashed burger, The Smashed Bacon Double Cheeseburger.
May is National Burger Month anyway, so the burger loving Kita of Girl Carnivore put this blogging event together a few years ago to celebrate in style. And it has grown into a great sponsored event that is all about community and our readers.
Pastry Chef Online Participates in Affiliate Programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information click to read my disclosure policy
Thanks for being here! Enjoy the burgers, and even though the giveaway is closed, you can still find all the Burger Month Instagram shenanigans by following the #burgermonth2019 hashtag.
What Makes This Burger So Great?
In a word: everything!
While “regular” thicker burgers are all about being juicy, a smashed burger is all about the crispy outside of the burger.
If you love corner-piece brownies and burnt ends of barbecue, you are going to love a smashed burger. Tons of surface area for great browning, and I promise they’ll still be juicy enough that you need to use a napkin or three!
Smashed Burger Q & A
No, the whole point of making a smashed burger is to get the meat to stick to the pan so it browns really well. I recommend using a stainless steel pan.
You use a fairly rigid metal spatula to scrape up and under the patty and then flip it over.
Probably. If you don’t have a really strong hood fan that exhausts to the outside, you will have to open the windows and run fans at the very least. It’s probably safest to either use a griddle heated up on your outdoor grill or use a portable burner and cook your burgers outside.
If you have to cook inside and your exhaust fan isn’t very strong, expect your smoke detector to go off at some point. It’s part of the fun!
You should portion your meat out in balls 2-2 1/2 ounces in weight. Put the balls in the hot pan, and then smash them down firmly with a spatula. It’s smoky good fun!
Once you flip both patties (each burger gets 2 patties), place thinly sliced pepper jack cheese on top of one of the burgers. After a minute to make sure the second side of the burger is cooked through, place the one “naked” patty on top of the one with the cheese. You’ll end up with two crisp/juicy/thin burger patties sandwiching nicely melted cheese! (See the above photo)
Lacquered bacon is just a fancy way of saying that the bacon is glazed with some sort of sauce and then cooked until the sauce is set.
It’s pretty easy to do: cut the bacon in half (that makes it the perfect length to fit on a burger. I’m not a fan of bacon over-hang!) and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F until partially cooked. Brush on bbq sauce and then bake until sauce is set and bacon is done to your liking (I like mine a little chewy for burgers.)
Ingredient Rundown
For me, making the ultimate burger is all about balancing flavors and textures while making sure you can actually pick the burger up and get it in your mouth.
This burger is a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot savory.
It is also chewy from the bacon, juicy from the burger patties and the relish, creamy with melted cheese, and crispy around the edges from the smashed patties and the toasted buns.
Here’s what’s in this guy, with special shout outs to Red Duck Foods and Cabot Cheese, two of our wonderful Burger Month Sponsors.
Ingredients:
- 80/20 ground beef
- ground pork
- kosher salt
- pepper jack cheese
- sweet-spicy pickle relish (or pickles that you can then mince up)
- pickled jalapenos
- mustard barbecue sauce such as Red Duck Foods Sweet Mustard Peppercorn BBQ Sauce
- thick cut peppered bacon
- molasses based barbecue sauce such as Red Duck Foods Smoked Applewood Molasses BBQ Sauce
- buttered and toasted potato buns (store bought or homemade)
I built these burgers on buttered and toasted potato buns that I purchased at the store. If you’d like to make your own potato buns, I have a recipe for you!
If you’d prefer a firmer bun as opposed to a soft bun, you can opt for pretzel rolls instead of potato buns.
How to Get Thin Slices of Cheese
It’s easy to put a pre-cut square slice of cheese on top of a burger, but what if you only have a block of cheese?
You can certainly slice thin slices off of one end of the block with a sharp knife. You can even turn the block on its side to slice larger pieces, although you run the risk of the block of cheese falling over as you try to slice it.
And this is where a cheese plane comes in. I grew up with one in our house, but I know they’re not necessarily a common kitchen gadget these days. But they’re great for slicing thin, easily melt-able slices off the top of a block of cheese. There’s a photo of the cheese plane I have above in the ingredient collage.
Mine is made by OXO, but they now have an updated model with a ridged flat surface to keep the cheese from sticking. Pretty keen!
They’re not expensive, and they’re great to have around for burger season or for whenever you want thin slices of cheese that are difficult to cut from a block.
Side Dish Ideas
My go-to side dishes for burgers of any kind are usually some sort of baked beans and maybe potato salad or fries if I’m feeling kicky. Here are some other side dish recipes for you to consider:
- Mom-Style Macaroni Salad (Pictured in the burger photographs)
- Cowboy Beans (Charro Beans) Instant Pot Recipe
- Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise (for when you’re feeling really fancy!)
- Make-Ahead Corn Salad (Perfect for spring and endlessly customizable)
- You also might consider serving these burgers with some moist and delicious jalapeno cheddar cornbread and some spicy-sweet chorizo baked beans.
Visit the Burger Month section of Girl Carnivore to see all the burgers as they’re posted.
I really hope you love this burger, you guys!
Variation
To pack all the delicious bacony goodness possible into this burger, consider adding a spoonful or two of bacon jam either to the ground beef, to the top or bottom bun, or in all three places.
You won’t be sorry!
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You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
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Thank you so much for taking the time!
BBQ Bacon Double Cheeseburger Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the BBQ Bacon
- 8 slices thick cut peppered bacon cut in half
- ¼ cup Red Duck KC-Style barbecue sauce or similar
For the Spicy BBQ Relish
- ½ cup pickle relish
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos minced
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup Red Duck mustard-based barbecue sauce or similar
For the Burgers
- 10 oz 80/20 ground beef
- 10 oz ground pork
- kosher salt
- 4 oz Cabot Pepper Jack Cheese
- 4 potato burger buns faces toasted in a buttered pan
Instructions
For the Bacon
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Lay out the sliced bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and brush on a thick layer of KC-style bbq sauce onto each slice.
- Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
- Set cooked bacon aside on a paper-towel lined plate. Refrigerate if not making your burgers right away.
For the Relish
- Combine the relish, jalapenos, brown sugar, and mustard bbq sauce in a small bowl and stir well.
- Set aside at room temperature if you are going to go ahead and make your burgers. If not, refrigerate until needed.
For the Burgers
- In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the ground beef and pork.
- Form into 8 equal portions, or use a scale to weigh out 2.5 oz portions and then roll into balls.
- Use a cheese plane to cut thin slices of pepper jack and set aside convenient to the stove.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. NOTE: This is a smoky process. If you don’t have a really strong range hood, open all your windows and turn on your fans OR cook on a burner outside.
- Do not oil your pan. You want the burgers to stick a bit to get a good crust.
- Place 2 “meat balls” in the hot pan and then smash down each firmly into a thin patty with a flexible metal spatula. Sprinkle each patty with a bit of kosher salt.
- Let the burger patties cook until they are done around the edges, about 3 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape each burger off the pan and then flip.
- Put 2-3 thin slices of pepper jack cheese on top of one of the patties.
- Cook for about 1-1 1/2 minutes and then place the plain patty on top of the patty with cheese.
To Build Your Burgers
Have Ready:
- Buttered and toasted potato buns
- 4 pieces lacquered bacon for each burger
- The bbq relish
- Spread about 2 Tablespoons relish on the bottom buns.
- Top with the burger-cheese assembly.
- Top the burgers with bacon: 2 pieces one way and 2 pieces the other
- Top with another Tablespoon or so of the relish.
- Add the top bun.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, y’all! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and hopefully also learned a thing or two.
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Burger Month Bloggers and Sponsor Thanks
Check out all the amazing participants in this year’s Burger Month, friends!
Sending out a huge thank you to our generous #BurgerMonth2019 sponsors for all the goodies that make up the Ultimate Burger Grilling Giveaway: Cabot Cheese, Char-Griller Grills, Crow Canyon Home, Porter Road, Melissas Produce, Red Duck, Spiceology, & Western BBQ
Join in Today!
I have some Porter Road bacon that would be perfect lacquered! I can’t wait to try this burger and that bacon!
You are going to love it!
Yes please! This burger looks incredible!!
Pinning for later and adding to my meal plan for the week 🙂
Aw thanks, Ang! I hope you really enjoy it!
OMGeeeeeeeee! That really is the ultimate smash burger! Damn girl, you nailed it!
Thanks, ma’am! It was really good!
Oh my goodness. This looks so good! I have never made a smash burger before. Now I feel like I need to.
I think you should go with that feeling–smashed burgers are so good! Enjoy, and good luck in the giveaway!
Do you ever make your own buns? Also, I am from San Diego, California and love their Carne Asada. I now live in south Texas. The CA here is more like fajita meat. It just doesn’t compare to SD. Have you ever tried SD carne asada? If so, can you post a recipe please?
Hey there. I do sometimes make my own buns. I believe I linked to both my potato rolls and pretzel buns in the post, but here they are so you don’t have to go back: https://pastrychefonline.com/soft-dinner-rolls/ and https://pastrychefonline.com/traditional-pretzel-buns/4/ I have a food blogger friend who lives in San Diego. She has lots of meaty recipes on her blog. She would probably better be able to help you with your carne asada since she is from there. Her name is Laura and her blog is https://familyspice.com/ Good luck!
Lacquered bacon?!?!??! Be still my heart, this all sounds amazing!
You need to lacquer all the bacon!! =)
I don’t make burgers often and I never make smashed burgers but your instructions and photos made it feel easy – like you were in the kitchen with me. Thanks Jenni.
I feel like you *need* to make a smashed burger. Then you and In-n-Out it or add whatever toppings you want. But, dang, they’re delicious! I’m glad my instructions are clear–I want to give everyone the best chance for success! xo
I totally LOVE smashburgers, but I’ve never made a double patty smashburger with TWO layers of cheese! That sounds soooo amazing.
Can’t have too much cheese! And smashed burgers really are the best. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! =)
OMG! I am drooling over here! These burgers look amazing and combine all of my favorite flavor! Yum!
They are really good! I need to make more–we are already missing them around here!
Wow you are on a roll with all of these tasty burgers. I can’t wait to dive in and try this recipe!
You know how I get! lol Butterscotch burger, anyone?! lol Seriously, I really do enjoy Burger Month–so many awesome burgers as well as spectacular giveaways!
I am a huge fan of crispy bits! This burger looks incredibly delicious, I want to be your neighbor. 🙂 lol Oh, and I can’t wait to try the Smashed Reuben Burger. I am a huge Reuben fan!
Thanks, Shelby! I can’t seem to stop making smashed burgers, partly because they require less finesse than thicker patties. You just squish ’em down and let ’em cook! lol I would be your neighbor any day. We could be each other’s taste testers!
Amazing!
Thanks, Karly! It is a pretty excellent burger, and Burger Month is always my favorite annual blogging event!