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This BBQ Burger recipe is an easy way to elevate your burgers this summer! Top juicy, seasoned beef patties with crispy onion rings, BBQ sauce, bacon, and melted American cheese. Ready in 30 minutes and perfect for the weeknight dinner table.
Try my Grilled Steak Salad recipe next!
Why I Love This Recipe
- 30 Minutes – I love that a barbecue burger can be ready, start to finish, in about 30 minutes. Perfect for an easy summer dinner.
- Grill Outside or Cook Inside – You can cook the patties on the grill outside or even inside on a grill pan or skillet.
- Perfect for Summer – These burgers are tender and juicy and messy and perfect for enjoying a simple, flavorful meal outdoors.
What you need
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Package of Frozen Onion Rings
- Ground Beef – I like to use ground chuck which tends to be a fattier, but also juicier cut of meat.
- Smoked Paprika and Garlic Powder – Adding this, in addition to salt and pepper, adds extra flavor to the beef patties.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Worcestershire sauce has a tangy, savory, sweet, and salty flavor and it helps add umami flavor to burgers.
- Liquid Smoke – A little goes a long way to add a smoky flavor. You can skip it if it’s not your favorite.
- Sesame Seeds Buns – You can really use any type of hamburger bun you would like.
- Cooked Bacon – We like to use regular bacon that has been cooked until crispy – you can cook bacon in the oven, make air fryer bacon, or cook bacon on the stove, even in the microwave.
- Sliced American Cheese – Or you can use a different sliced cheese, we also like using cheddar or pepper jack, but American cheese melts better.
- Barbecue Sauce – You can use your favorite store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce, but a sweeter sauce brings a nice balance to this burger. I used Sweet Baby Rays.
How To Make a BBQ Burger
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Onion Rings – Start by getting the onion rings cooking based on the packaging directions. Meanwhile you can preheat your grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. You can use a regular skillet if you don’t have a grill or grill pan.
Make Burger Patties – Mix the ground beef with the spices, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke until combined. Divide it into 4 equal portions and make into slightly larger patties than your buns. Make an indent in the center of the patties with your thumb to help them from being too thick in the middle after cooking.
Grill Patties – Grill the patties until they reach your desired level of doneness. The internal temperature for burgers is 145℉ for medium or 155℉ for medium well or about 4-6 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese to each pattie while the second side finishes cooking so the cheese can melt.
Build Burgers – Build the burger with the onion rings, BBQ sauce, and the toppings of your choice. I like lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Thermopro Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer for your kitchen. It’s very affordable and often on sale! This is the one I’ve used for years and it has a hundred thousand positive reviews.
Best Topping for a Barbecue Burger
The best toppings for a barbecue burger include
- Onions: Onion rings, crispy fried onions, fresh sliced onions, grilled onions, pickled red onions.
- Vegetables: Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, avocado.
- Bacon: Crispy bacon, candied bacon, cowboy candy (crispy jalapeno candied bacon).
- Cheese: A good, melty cheese is essential to a good burger, like American, Swiss, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar.
- BBQ Sauce: And don’t forget your favorite barbecue sauce!
BBQ Burger Sides
Burgers pair well with so many favorite summer side dishes, like
- Instant Pot Baked Beans
- German Cucumber Salad
- Corn on the Cob
- Southern Green Beans
- German Potato Salad
- Easy Baked Potato Wedges
- Best Macaroni Salad
- Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
These are best when eaten immediately. Leftovers are best stored in separate components in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the patties until the center reaches 165℉ and assemble the burgers.
Recipe Tips
- Patty Size – Create patties that are slightly larger than your buns and make a deep indent in the center. This will keep your burgers from shrinking too much and becoming thick in the center.
- Use Medium-Medium/High Heat – Keep the heat on medium-high to medium. You want to give the inside time to cook, without burning the outside.
- Do you close the grill or leave it open? Most often, and for burgers especially because they cook pretty quickly, you want to keep the grill closed to hold in the heat.
- Easily Melt Cheese – To melt the cheese, you can cover the burgers with a pan lid or foil to trap the steam and help melt the cheese.
- Tip for Extra Crispy Onion Rings – For the crispiest onion rings, cook them in an air fryer or deep fryer. It’s easiest to use onion rings that are about the size of your burger, or use a few small ones.
- Mess Free Bacon – For mess free bacon cooking, line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Lay the bacon on the sheet pan in a single layer and cook in a 350℉ oven until your desired crispiness is reached, about 20-30 minutes.
More Burger Recipes
- Ranch Burgers
- Stovetop Burgers
- Juicy Grilled Hamburgers
- Turkey Burgers
- Grilled Hamburger Sliders
- Air Fryer Hamburgers
BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers
Ingredients
- 16 ounce Package frozen onion rings
- 1 ½ pounds Ground beef preferably ground chuck
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Liquid smoke
- 4 Sesame seed buns
- 8 slices Bacon cooked
- 4 slices American cheese
- 1/2 cup Barbecue sauce
- Lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices for serving
Instructions
- Cook onion rings according to package directions. Set aside.
- While onion rings are cooking, preheat your grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
- In a large bowl mix together the ground beef with the spices, Worcestershire and liquid smoke until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties that are slightly larger than your buns. Make an indent in the center of the patties with your thumb.
- Grill patties until they reach your desired level of doneness. 145℉ for medium or 155℉ for medium well or about 4-6 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese to each pattie while the second side finishes cooking. Remove to a plate.
- Build the burgers with the onion rings and BBQ sauce and the toppings of your choice. I like lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
