August 13th, 2008

Real, Juicy, Bacon Cheeseburgers

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers

Nothing says “summer” quite like thick, juicy, hamburgers– even better when they’re topped with bacon, melty cheese, and prepared just the way you like ‘em.

Wanna try my recipe? It’s sure-fire, can’t-miss, and tummy-pleasin’. :D Come on, I’ll show you. :)

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers

Ingredients
1 lb hamburger meat
1 lb bacon
2 tbsp Dale’s steak seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing
1 egg
Montreal Steak Seasoning
6 slices colby jack cheese
6 hamburger buns
butter for toasted bun

First things first. Grab a stick of butter and set it out on the counter so it can be softening.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Now. Let’s start with the bacon. There are lots of ways to cook bacon, but I like good old fashioned frying in a skillet. :) Frying bacon is really quite easy, it just requires a little patience. I like to cut my bacon in half before frying it. It makes it the perfect size for burgers.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
I like the thinly sliced, “center cut” bacon. What’s your favorite kind?

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Okay. Now. Arrange your bacon in a skillet over medium to medium low heat. We’re gonna cook it lowwww and slowww. Leave it just like that for right now and we’re gonna go prepare our hamburger patties.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
See this? See this bad, bad, bad for you 85% lean, 15% fatty meat? I like using lean beef as much as the next guy, but 85/15 beef makes the best hamburgers because if you try to make burgers anything leaner, they will be crumbly and fall apart. And that’s not fun. And really, health consciousness has no place when it comes to cheeseburgers, now does it? :D So throw your cares to the wind for an evening and let yourself enjoy the goodness from 85/15 juicy, bacon cheeseburgers.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Now! Take your hamburger meat and place it in a shallow dish. Mine always ends up breaking in half, and that’s okay.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Over the meat, pour 2 tbsp Dale’s…

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Sprinkle 1/2 package of dry Ranch Dressing… then flip it over and do the other side with the other 1/2 package…

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Now crack an egg in a coffee mug or bowl

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Scramble it with a fork

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
And pour it over the meat

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
With clean hands, gently break apart the meat

Now. Make sure your hands are clean. :) We’re going to gently work everything into the meat. But you don’t want to over handle the meat or else your burgers will be tough. So just kinda kinda massage everything into the the meat, moving it around the bowl to make sure you sop up all the juicy and seasony goodness. ;)

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
It should look about like this when you’re done.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Form it into kind of a log and with a knife, divide the meat into 6 even sections

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Grab one of those sections and gently form a ball. Do you have one of these nifty hamburger presses? They make patty-makin’ easy. If so, drop the meat into the hamburger mold (I guess that’s what you call it)

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Press it down it down with the, uh, press

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
And you have a perfectly shaped patty! If you don’t have a press, you can just press it down with your hands. :)

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
And repeat! As you go, be sure to arrange your patties in the shape of a flower on the plate. This is critical to your burgers’ success.

Just kidding.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Generously season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Whoa, I almost forgot about our bacon!! Let’s check on it. This is the bacon after it’s been cooking 10 mins. It’s not quite ready yet.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
That butter should be allllll nice and soft by now, so go ahead and butter up 6 hamburger buns- 6 tops and 6 bottoms.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
After that, check your bacon again. This is the bacon after 15 mins.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
When the fat starts turning translucent and the bottom side is getting brown, it’s time to flip the bacon. I know it’s hard to tell in the pic, but it is time to flip the bacon. :D

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
I only had to cook the other side about 5 mins before it was done.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Drain your bacon on a paper towel, and finish frying up the rest of the bacon. I always have to do 2 batches in my 12″ skillet.

Once all the bacon is done, pour out any excess bacon grease into a coffee mug (don’t pour it down your drain). But leave a little bacon grease in the bottom of the pan, just enough to coat it. I actually didn’t have to drain my grease this time. That thin, center cut bacon hardly produced any grease at all. Usually I have to drain it between every batch!

Turn the heat up to medium high and once the bacon grease is nice and hot…

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
…arrange your hamburgers in the skillet.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
After 3 mins, flip em’ over. They’re going to cook on this side for another 3 mins.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
So let the burgers sizzle for about 30 seconds or so, then add your bacon…

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
And your cheese… Whoops! I didn’t have enough cheese. One burger will be left out. :(

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
Cover and cook for the remaining 2 mins or so.

At this point, put those buttered buns under the broiler in your oven.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
After a couple of mins, the burgers should be done and the cheese all nice and melty.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
You want toasted buns?? Go sit on a microwave! Ahem, I mean, and the buns should be nice all nice and toasty.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
These burgers have got so much flavor, they really don’t need any condiments.

real juicy bacon ranch cheeseburgers
So when you’re ready, dive right in! That’s what I did. ;)

 

Real, Juicy, Bacon Cheeseburgers


1 lb bacon
1 lb hamburger meat (85/15)
2 tbsp Dale’s steak seasoning
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 egg, beaten
Montreal Steak Seasoning
6 slices colby jack cheese
6 hamburger buns

Set out a stick of butter to soften on the counter. Cut bacon in half and fry in a large skillet over medium to medium low heat about 10 mins each side. Meanwhile, place hamburger meat in a shallow dish, pour over Dale’s, ranch dressing, and beaten egg. Mix together with hands, being careful not to over mix. With a knife, divide the meat into 6 even sections. Grab a section and gently form a ball. Press down to form into patty. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Butter six hamburger buns with the softened butter. When all your bacon is done, leave just enough bacon grease in the skillet to coat the bottom. Turn the heat up to medium high. Once the bacon grease is hot, arrange the patties in the skillet. Cook for three mins, then flip. Let sizzle for about 30 seconds or so, then add your bacon and cheese. Cover and cook for another remaining 2 mins or so. Toast buttered buns under broiler in oven. When your burgers and buns are done, build and eat!


Email to Friend Email to Friend       Print Recipe Print Recipe





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • StumbleUpon
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook
  • Google




Make for: Dinner / Main Dish
Tags: , ,




  1. 1
    Lori says:

    Those look soooo good! I can’t wait to make them for Bill!

  2. 2
    dee says:

    Cool recipe – thanks!

  3. 3
    Doris says:

    Looks great. I’ve made burgers with Ranch dressing, but not the other ingedients. Will give it a try. Sounds wonderful.

    If we don’t have Dale’s steak seasoning, could you advise what it would be similar to? Is it something like A-1?

  4. 4
    Michelle says:

    These look so yummy…love the tips for burgers (egg, steak sauce, and powdered ranch dressing) never would have thought of that!

    Can’t wait to try it!
    Michelle

  5. 5
    dee says:

    Are these considered kosher?

  6. 6
    Jamie says:

    Those do look good and you are right. Nothing healthy there. :)

  7. 7
    dee says:

    What side dish do you serve?

  8. 8
    Deanna says:

    We don’t eat a lot of red meat in our house anymore but when decided to break the diet and have burgers for my daughters first birthday, I knew I had to try this recipe. It did not disappoint! We switched it up a bit and decided to BBQ them with some corn on the cob and sliced potatoes. Thanks for making our day a lot tastier. :)

  9. 9
    Stacy says:

    Just made these tonight! They were soooo good. My husband is now a big fan of this recipe! Thanks for sharing!

  10. 10
    Kim says:

    I tried these out today, although with a few different things (im in australiaand cant get some of the things you listed, but with my funky alternatives they made a yummy dinner!

  11. 11
    Ali says:

    I just made these last night. They are to die for! My hubby was in love as was I. I didn’t have any Dale’s sauce so I used Worchestershire instead and they came out great. Thanks for all of your awesome recipes! I’m making your Alfredoi Tortellni tonight and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks again!

  12. 12
    Merredith says:

    We just finished up eating these delicious cheeseburgers! Barely handling the meat really made a difference. Two thumbs up from all four diners tonight!

  13. 13
    Leslie says:

    Loved that I had most of the ingredients to make this Americana summer recipie already in my pantry. These were Yummy!

  14. 14
    ashley says:

    I will have to make these soon!! Dale’s is a staple in my kitchen haha! These sound delicious!

  15. 15
    Cyndi Solis says:

    These burgers are a new favorite for my family! My son almost cried the first time he ate them, he loved them that much! I just wanted to thank you, from a mom who is happy to get a 50% approval on any meal these give me a 100% and I love that! I will pass this along to all my friends!



Leave a Comment