Make a mouthwatering BBQ Bacon Burger at home with this easy recipe! A perfectly seasoned, grilled burger patty is topped with crispy bacon, melty cheese, flavorful barbecue sauce, and crunchy onion strings to create the most flavorful cheeseburger recipe.

cheeseburger on plate with bbq sauce

Table of contents

When it comes to creating a good burger, you need two things, a juicy, flavorful burger patty, and an assortment of toppings with different flavors and textures. This burger recipe combines both of these things into an incredible cheeseburger that you’ll come back to over and over again!

If your go-to order at a burger restaurant, or fast food chain, is a BBQ bacon burger or Western-style cheeseburger, then this recipe is for you! It has everything you love about these restaurant-style bbq burgers, but it’s even better. And it’s easy to make in just 30 minutes.

This bbq bacon burger recipe is perfect for everything from a weeknight meal, to a weekend bbq!

ingredients for bbq bacon burger on white wood board

Ingredients

  • Bacon – for this recipe you can use classic bacon, thick-cut bacon, or the gold standard homemade bacon. The bacon can be cooked in the oven, or fried on the stove, before preparing the burgers. You can even cook the bacon up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the burgers.
  • Ground beef – I recommend a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make tender, juicy burgers!
  • Hamburger seasoning – this easy blend of 5 spices, includes salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. It adds a great flavor to any burger recipe, and it’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes or less. Click the link for the recipe, mix up a big batch and store it in your pantry for anytime you want to make burgers!
  • Worcestershire sauce – my secret ingredient for adding a wonderful umami flavor to burger patties. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
  • Cheddar cheese – I like to use sharp cheddar cheese for these burgers, but you could also use slices of American cheese or Swiss cheese.
  • Hamburger buns – I recommend brioche buns, as the buttery flavor is so delicious. But any burger bun will work.
  • BBQ sauce – feel free to use my homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce, or purchase your favorite bottle of barbecue sauce at the grocery store.
  • Fried onion strings – like the kind you use on the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving! These are usually found in the grocery store on the aisle with the salad toppings, like croutons. You could also purchase a bag of frozen onion rings, cook those, and add them to the burgers, or use this recipe for air fryer onion rings to make homemade onion rings. If you want to stay away from fried onion rings or strings, you could also use caramelized onions.
  • Lettuce (optional topping) – I like to use leaves of green leaf lettuce for these burgers, but iceberg, butter lettuce, or romaine lettuce will also work.
  • Tomatoes (optional topping) – any large juicy tomato will work for this recipe.
seasoned burger patties on cutting board
hamburger patties on the grill

Instructions

If you don’t already have cooked bacon, start by cooking slices of bacon on the stove, or in the oven. Follow this link for my step-by-step guide on how to cook bacon in the oven. While the bacon is cooking, you can go ahead and prepare the burgers.

  1. Form the burger patties. Combine ground beef, hamburger seasoning and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Divide the mixture into four burger patties, about ½ inch thick.
  2. Grill the burger patties. Preheat an outdoor grill, or grill pan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the burger patties, then cook for 5 minutes per side.
  3. Top with cheese. During the last minute of cooking time, top the burger patties with a slice of cheese. Once the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the grill and set them aside. Do not immediately put the burgers on buns, instead allow them to rest for 5 minutes on a separate plate or cutting board before assembling the burgers. This will let the juices redistribute throughout the burger and will prevent the buns from getting soggy.
  4. Assemble the burgers. Toast the buns on the grill, or in a skillet, place a piece of lettuce and slice of tomato on each of the bottom buns. Top with slices of cooked bacon (broken in half) and the cheeseburger patties. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of bbq sauce on top of each burger patty. Top with onion strings, then add the top burger buns. Serve the bbq bacon cheeseburgers immediately.
cooked cheeseburger on plate with a side bowl of bbq sauce

Optional toppings

  • Caramelized onions – instead of onion strings, you can add caramelized onions to this burger. While caramelizing onions does take a little time, it’s super easy! You can make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to one week, or the freezer for 3 months. Click the link above for my easy step-by-step guide to caramelizing onions.
  • Raw onions – if you don’t want to use fried onion strings, onion rings, or caramelized onions, you can simply add slices of raw onions to the burger with the lettuce and tomato.
  • Pickles – if you like the tang of dill pickles, or the sweetness of bread and butter pickles, feel free to add slices to the burger. For extra credit, make homemade pickles to top these burgers!

Recipe tips

  • Do not immediately place the burgers on the buns after removing them from the grill! This is a common mistake people make when preparing burgers. It’s one that I did for years. By placing the toasted buns and grilled burgers on separate plates, you allow the juices to redistribute throughout the burgers and not just soak right into the buns. I recommend waiting 5 minutes before assembling the burgers. Just like you rest a steak, resting burgers makes them more juicy and flavorful! And this process prevents your buns from getting soggy. It’s a win-win!
  • Cooking a one inch thick burger for 4-5 minutes per side over medium high heat will result in a medium burger. If you’d like your burger medium-well, add 1 minute per side. If you’d like well-done burgers, cook them for 6-7 minutes per side.
  • Always make sure your grill is hot before adding the burgers. Adding burgers (or any food for that matter) to a hot grill is important for cooking safety. It will also give you a beautiful sear on the outside, while keeping the burgers super juicy on the inside. The best temp to grill burgers is between 350-400 degrees fahrenheit. This will be medium-high heat on a standard grill.
  • Never flatten the burgers with a spatula after they’re on the grill. This will release all of the juicy flavor in the middle of the burger, creating a hamburger that’s less flavorful and juicy.
  • This recipe can be made on the stove. No grill? No problem! Simply cook the burgers on a grill pan, cast iron skillet, or the heaviest skillet you have available. Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and cook for the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. Add sliced cheese on top during the last minute of cook time.
cheeseburger on plate

What to serve with the burgers

There are dozens of options for scrumptious sides to pair with these burgers. For an easy option, serve the BBQ Bacon Burger with your favorite potato chips. To step up your side dish game, pair the burger with any of these recipes.

More burger recipes

Don’t miss these other delicious burger recipes, and be sure to check out my Top 10 Grilling Tips to become the master of your grill!

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger

California Burger

Air Fryer Hamburgers

Smash Burgers

Breakfast Burger

Mushroom Swiss Burger
cooked cheeseburger on plate with a side bowl of bbq sauce
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BBQ Bacon Burger

Make a mouthwatering BBQ Bacon Burger at home with this easy recipe! A perfectly seasoned, grilled burger patty is topped with crispy bacon, melty cheese, flavorful barbecue sauce, and crunchy onion strings to create the most flavorful cheeseburger recipe.
Servings: 4 burgers
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Instructions

  • If you don’t already have cooked bacon, start by cooking slices of bacon on the stove, or in the oven. Follow this link for my step-by-step guide on how to cook bacon in the oven. While the bacon is cooking, you can go ahead and prepare the burgers.
  • Combine the ground beef, hamburger seasoning and worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Divide the mixture into four burger patties, about ½ inch thick.
  • Preheat an outdoor grill, or grill pan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the burger patties, then cook for 5 minutes per side.
  • During the last minute of cooking time, top each of the patties with a slice of cheese. Once the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the grill and set them aside to rest on a cutting board.
  • Place the buns on the grill, or in the hot skillet, and toast.
  • Remove the buns from the grill, top with the a leaf of lettuce, slice of tomato, cooked strips of bacon (broken in half), then the cheeseburger patties. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of bbq sauce on top of each burger patty. Top with 2 tablespoons of onion strings, then add the top burger buns. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Feel free to replace the onion strings with cooked frozen onion rings, caramelized onions, or raw sliced onions.
  • You can cook the bacon up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the burgers. This makes it easy to prepare and cook the burgers in just 15 minutes!
  • Do not immediately place the burgers on the buns after removing them from the grill! This is a common mistake people make when preparing burgers. It’s one that I did for years. By placing the toasted buns and grilled burgers on separate plates, you allow the juices to redistribute throughout the burgers and not just soak right into the buns. I recommend waiting 5 minutes before assembling the burgers. Just like you rest a steak, resting burgers makes them more juicy and flavorful! And this process prevents your buns from getting soggy. It’s a win-win!
  • Cooking a one inch thick burger for 4-5 minutes per side over medium high heat will result in a medium burger. If you’d like your burger medium-well, add 1 minute per side. If you’d like well-done burgers, cook them for 6-7 minutes per side.
  • This recipe can be made on the stove. No grill? No problem! Simply cook the burgers on a grill pan, cast iron skillet, or the heaviest skillet you have available. Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and cook for the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. Add sliced cheese on top during the last minute of cook time.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 776kcal (39%)Carbohydrates 42g (14%)Protein 34g (68%)Fat 51g (78%)Saturated Fat 20g (100%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 127mg (42%)Sodium 2889mg (120%)Potassium 665mg (19%)Fiber 2g (8%)Sugar 16g (18%)Vitamin A 2270mg (45%)Vitamin C 9mg (11%)Calcium 231mg (23%)Iron 4mg (22%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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