Our Bacon Jam Burgers are loaded with melty cheese, a sweet and savory bacon bourbon jam, and sriracha mayo. Sweet, salty, and a tad spicy, these burgers are a treat for all of your taste buds!
Ditch the Disappointing Burgers
If there's one thing we cannot abide around these parts, it is a boring burger. Get outta here with your soggy tomato and limp lettuce. We want burgers loaded with caramelized onions and mushrooms, oozing with mozzarella cheese, or in this case, topped with a bewitching bacon onion jam.
These burgers are ROBUST. Every element hits you with a new texture and flavor--a little sweet here, a hint of heat there, and all laced with bits of salty, crispy-edged beef.
I know what you’re thinking: jam on a burger? You'll just have to trust me on this one. If you like your savory recipes to have a hint of sweetness (Meat Candy, anyone?) or your sweet recipes to have a hint of salt (Buckeye Brownies, perhaps?), then we think you'll absolutely adore these Bacon Jam Burgers.
Why We Love a Burger with Bacon Jam
- It’s sweet and savory. The bacon jam is thick, sweet, and savory, with hints of bourbon, honey, and just a bit of heat. It pairs so beautifully with the rich meatiness of the beef patty!
- It's make ahead friendly. You can prepare the bacon jam up to a week in advance, and the rest of the burger comes together quickly.
- You can customize it. If you’re not a fan of Muenster cheese, swap it out. If you don’t like the flavor of an everything bagel, you can use a different type of bun. Add sriracha or don’t. This burger is meant to make YOU happy. You do you, boo.
Key Ingredients for Bacon Jam Burgers
- Ground beef- You’ll need a pound of fatty beef for your burgers. I recommend using no leaner than 80/20 beef for juicy burgers. If you want thicker burgers or are serving more than 4 people, use 1 ½ lbs. of beef.
- Seasoning- We used Kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder as our simple burger seasoning. But if you want to add a little ~pizzazz~ you can use this Homemade Burger Seasoning.
- Cheeeeeese - Muenster cheese goes super well with the bacon jam, but you can substitute any cheese you have on hand.
- Everything bagel buns - You can use any kind of bun if you don’t have access to everything bagel buns.
- Bacon Onion Jam- This is, quite literally, the secret sauce. It's the star of the show, the icing on the cake, you get the idea.
- Sriracha (optional) - We REALLY loved these burgers with an extra swirl of sriracha. The garlicky sweet heat really complemented the jam and put these burgers over the top for us. That said, you can definitely omit it and have a completely non-spicy Bacon Jam Burger.
How to Make Bacon Jam Burgers
- Prep the burgers. Divide the beef into four equal sections and use your hands to gently shape each section into a ball. Use the palm of your hand to press each ball into a burger shape. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round. Press your thumb into the center of each burger to prevent doming.
- Season. Mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the burgers with the seasoning mixture.
- Fry the burgers. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add just enough vegetable oil to coat. When the oil shimmers, place the patties in the skillet. Fry about 3 minutes, flip, then fry an additional 2-3 minutes or until internal temperature reaches desired doneness (see temp chart below). Place a slice of muenster on the burgers for the last minute and cover with a lid or sheet pan to allow it to melt. Remove the burgers to a plate and loosely tent with foil.
- Assemble. Slather each side of the buns with mayonnaise. On the bottom half of each of the buns, layer the greens followed by the burgers and a good scoop of bacon jam. Top with the second bun, adding a swirl of sriracha if desired. Serve.
Tips for Making Tender, Juicy Burgers
- Be gentle- Avoid tough burgers by handling the meat as little (and as gently) as possible.
- Use your thumb to indent the center - If you’ve ever started grilling a big burger patty and ended up with a small burger dome, you’ll understand the importance of this trick. Making an indent in the center of your patty prevents it from puffing up in the center and allows for more even cooking.
- Never press burgers down - Nothing hurts me more than watching someone press their spatula into a burger patty and seeing all those delicious juices run out. Please, if you disregard all my other advice, DON’T DO THIS. We want all those juices in our burgers, not at the bottom of the grill.
FAQs
What should the temperature of the burger be?
Burgers should be cooked to 140-145 F for medium, 150-155 F for medium well, or 160+ F for well done.
How long do you cook burgers on each side prior to adding cheese?
These smaller (¼ pound) burgers are cooked about 3 minutes a side. We add the cheese during the last minute of cooking time on the second side.
Do you put seasoning on both sides of burgers?
Yes. I always season both sides of our burger meat. If you want, you can just season the top then flip it into the skillet seasoned side down, and then add seasoning to the other side.
If you want to know more about why we season the outside of the burgers rather than mix it into the meat itself, check out this post on Burger Seasoning. We tested both ways and found seasoning the outside of the burger gives it more flavor!
Can I grill a Bacon Jam Burger?
Absolutely! If you’d prefer to grill these burgers, check out our guide: How to Grill Burgers.
Can I air fry these burgers?
Yes. We love using an air fryer to cook burgers. Check out all our air fryer hamburger tips here.
What do I serve with bacon jam burgers?
Check out our list of over 30 sides for burgers and hot dogs!
More Burger Recipes
We love burgers, especially for summer! We even have a whole page dedicated to Burger Recipes. Here are some of our favorites:
📖 Recipe
Bacon Jam Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Vegetable oil (to coat)
- 4 slices Muenster cheese
- 4 Everything Bagel Buns (or buns of your choice)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup bourbon bacon jam
- 1 cup mixed greens
- Sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the burgers. Divide the beef into four equal sections and use your hands to gently shape each section into a ball. Use the palm of your hand to press each ball into a burger shape. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round. Press your thumb into the center of each burger to prevent doming.
- Season. Mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the burgers with the seasoning mixture.
- Fry the burgers. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add just enough vegetable oil to coat. When the oil shimmers, place the patties in the skillet. Fry about 3 minutes, flip, then fry an additional 2-3 minutes or until internal temperature reaches desired doneness (see temp chart below). Place a slice of muenster on the burgers for the last minute and cover with a lid or sheet pan to allow it to melt. Remove the burgers to a plate and loosely tent with foil.
- Assemble. Slather each side of the buns with mayonnaise. On the bottom half of each of the buns, layer the greens followed by the burgers and a good scoop of bacon jam. Top with the second bun, adding a swirl of sriracha if desired. Serve.
Notes
- If desired, toast the buns before assembling. Spread butter on each half of the bun and place face down in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until browned, about three minutes.
- If you’d prefer to grill these burgers, check out our guide: How to Grill Burgers.
Tips for making burgers:
- Use fatty beef - Save the lean beef for Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup. I recommend using no leaner than 80/20 beef for juicy burgers.
- Be gentle - Avoid tough burgers by handling the meat as little (and as gently) as possible.
- Use your thumb to indent the center - If you’ve ever started grilling a big burger patty and ended up with a small burger dome, you’ll understand the importance of this trick. Making an indent in the center of your patty prevents it from puffing up in the center and allows for more even cooking.
- Never press burgers down - Nothing hurts me more than watching someone press their spatula into a burger patty and seeing all those delicious juices run out. Please, if you disregard all my other advice, DON’T DO THIS. We want all those juices in our burgers, not at the bottom of the grill.
Burger Temperature Guide:
Burgers should be cooked to:- 140-145 F for medium
- 150-155 F for medium well
- 160+ F for well done
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