The sweet and smoky flavor of this bacon jam burger is comfort food at its finest. This gourmet burger is topped with melty cheese, crisp onion, and a generous slathering of sticky bacon jam.
A juicy burger dipping with savory bacon jam is next-level deliciousness! This gourmet burger recipe combines my wildly popular homemade burger patties with the mouthwatering enticement of bacon onion jam to create the ultimate juicy burger.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Hamburger buns - I recommend good quality potato rolls or your favorite gourmet hamburger buns. Brioche buns would be a great option.
- Butter
- Ground chuck
- Gruyere cheese - Provolone cheese or an aged white cheddar would both be great substitutes. Cream cheese would also pair nicely with the bacon jam.
- Green leaf lettuce
- Red onions
- Salt and black pepper
- Regular sliced bacon
- Bacon grease
- Shallots - Diced onion can be substituted.
- Apple cider vinegar - Balsamic vinegar can be substituted.
- Apricot preserves
How to make them
To make this bacon jam burger recipe, you will first need to prepare the bacon jam. To do so, cut raw bacon into one-inch pieces and cook in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once cooked, remove the crispy bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels.
Keep one tablespoon of rendered bacon drippings in the skillet and add the chopped shallots. Cook until the shallots are tender and translucent. Then return the bacon to the pan along with the vinegar, and preserves.
Finish the bacon jam by pureeing it until it reaches your desired consistency, or keep it chunky if you would like.
Next, prepare your burger patties by pressing them into patties slightly larger than your buns (as they will shrink during cooking). Season each side with salt and pepper.
Place the beef patties in a large cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat and cook until the tops turn a deep red, then flip, top with a slice of cheese, and cook to your desired doneness.
While the burger cooks, toast the interior of the buns with butter in a separate skillet, working in batches as needed.
Assemble your bacon jam burgers by adding a slice of lettuce to the lower bun, top with onion slices, a juicy beef patty, and a generous spoonful of warm bacon jam. Add the top bun and serve immediately.
Bacon Jam Burger
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 8 potato rolls (or your favorite hamburger buns)
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 pounds ground chuck divided into 8 patties
- 8 slices Gruyere cheese
- 8 leaves green leaf lettuce
- ¼ cup sliced red onions
- salt and black pepper
Bacon Jam
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup apricot preserves
Instructions
Bacon Jam
- Cut raw bacon into small pieces and fry in a skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Then remove and set aside, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet.
- Add the shallots and cook until tender.
- Add bacon and all remaining ingredients into the skillet and simmer until the mixture is thickened and well combined. Then puree with an immersion blender until it reaches your desired consistency.
Burger
- Working in batches, melt ~½ tablespoon butter in a skillet on medium heat and add buns, sliced side down to lightly toast. Remove from skillet when the sliced interior is golden brown and lightly toasted. Add more butter as needed as you toast the remainder of the buns.
- Flatten ground chuck into round patties an inch larger than the size of the bun, as they will shrink when cooked. Salt and pepper each side and add to a separate skillet on medium high heat and cook until the top begins to turn a dark red, flip and top with cheese. Continue to cook until the burger is cooked through.
- Place slice of lettuce on bottom bun, topped with slices of onion, then add burger patty and top with two tablespoons of bacon jam and cover with the upper bun.
tony
You just keep om getting better & better !..this is awesome & THANKYOU !!
Robbie - Yorkshire Catering
That bacon jam sounds incredible! and I love the idea of using the rest for egg sandwiches! I'm tempted to try a fried egg in the burger too. My mouth is watering at the thought - thanks for sharing
tanya taylor
I use Martin's rolls for ham/cheese burgers. My husband loves to toast them in button on the grill for added crunchy goodness. I discovered Martin's when viewing a recipe for lobster rolls and haven't looked back since!! Thanks for the chance to win 🙂 The Bacon Jam Burger with Gruyere Cheese sounds delicious!!
Becca Heflin
Your passion for food is evident, Ben. Those buns would be amazing snuggled up with a bratwurst burger! That bacon jam has got to happen in my life, too!
I made a bacon onion relish last year (recipe's on my site), but this looks crazy delicious!
Fox Valley Foodie
I used the rest of the buns to make bacon jam egg sandwiches, which were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. as well!
Nicole
Where are these buns sold?
Fox Valley Foodie
You can see if they are sold near you on their website: https://potatorolls.com/find-us/