Free recipe
Bacon Cheeseburger
Built around ground beef and burger buns -- the method starts by lay the bacon in a cold frying pan.
A juicy, craggy-edged patty with melty cheese on a buttered, toasted bun. Here it's built on ground beef, burger buns and cheddar cheese -- a medium, American comfort recipe that starts by lay the bacon in a cold frying pan, and is ready in roughly 25 minutes.
Ready in 25 minutes -- genuinely doable on a weeknight.
A few technique steps to focus on, but nothing that needs special equipment.
Built around ground beef, so the flavor comes from real ingredients, not a spice packet.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef (80/20 - some fat keeps it juicy)
- 4 burger buns
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Crisp lettuce leaves
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- Ketchup and mustard
- Salt and black pepper
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
Calculated from this recipe's own ingredient list; treat as an estimate, not a lab measurement.
Method
Lay the bacon in a cold frying pan, turn the heat to medium, and cook 6-8 minutes, turning, until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Divide the beef into 4 loose balls. Gently shape each into a patty slightly wider than the buns and press a small dimple in the center (this stops it doming). Do not overwork the meat or it turns tough.
Season the patties well with salt and pepper on both sides right before cooking.
Heat a frying pan or grill over medium-high heat. Cook the patties 3 minutes without moving them so a brown crust forms.
Flip, lay a slice of cheddar on each, and cook 2-3 minutes more until the cheese melts.
Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a dry pan until golden.
Build each burger: bottom bun, lettuce, tomato, cheesy patty, bacon, ketchup and mustard, top bun.
Serve right away while hot.
The step worth not rushing: Divide the beef into 4 loose balls. Gently shape each into a patty slightly wider than the buns and press a small dimple in the center (this stops it doming). Do not overwork the meat or it turns tough.
