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Bacon weave blue cheese burgers are a dreamy way to level up burger night. The bacon and onions take a little while to make, but you can do both in advance. Here’s how to make it happen.
Why we love this recipe
When you’re in the mood to shake up burger night a little bit without straying too far from tradition, bacon weave blue cheese burgers are a great idea. They’ve got something for everyone.
- Creamy, funky blue cheese pairs beautifully with beef, bacon, and caramelized onions.
- Bacon on a burger needs no explanation. But a bacon lattice is an easy upgrade that’s both fun and functional (it prevents bacon from falling off while you eat).
- Sweet, savory, satisfying caramelized onions pack tons of flavor into every bite.
- Crunchy shredded lettuce lightens things up and provides a bit of textural contrast.
Put it all together, and it’s just so good.
I first shared this recipe here back in 2017. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and streamlined the recipe method a bit.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- For the burgers, I like to use 85% lean grass-fed and finished ground beef. It has a great flavor profile and just the right amount of fat to make fabulous burgers. It’s easier and easier to get these days, but see below for my usual sources for meat if you like.
- You can use your favorite bacon for the weave. Sometimes I gravitate toward super thick-cut bacon, but here it’s not necessary.
- Here’s how to make perfect caramelized onions. You can do this well in advance and keep them in the fridge.
- I like to use gorgonzola dolce for blue cheese and the inner leaves of good old romaine for the lettuce, but you can use your favorites.
- I haven’t pictured buns here, because you can really use whatever type you like. Whether they’re hearty and seeded or tender and slightly sweet (like brioche), they’ll work well with these burgers as long as they have enough structure to contain the ingredients.
My favorite sources for meat & pantry staples
For years, I’ve been sourcing our meat from ButcherBox. We love this curated meat delivery service, which provides grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork, organic chicken, and more from small farms direct to the customer. You can learn more in my extensive Butcher Box review and unboxing.
I love Thrive Market for a wide variety of products. Often described as one part Whole Foods, one part Costco, they’re a membership-based online market for healthier products at discounted prices. Plus, they’re mission-driven, engaged in the community, and not currently owned by a giant corporation. You can learn more in my Thrive Market review and unboxing.
How to make them
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a gorgeous batch of bacon weave blue cheese burgers with caramelized onions. You can see the steps in action in the videos that accompany this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Prep the bacon weave and the caramelized onions. When ready to cook, season the burgers generously.
- Cook in a cast iron pan or grill to your desired doneness. Refer to the FAQ section below for next-level patty shaping techniques if you like.
- Get your toppings ready.
- Assemble the burgers.
How to make a bacon weave
Bacon on a burger is always a good idea — and don’t let me stop you from rolling with whatever method you like. But if you’ve ever wished for bacon that covers your burger perfectly and doesn’t fall out of the bun, may I present the bacon weave (a.k.a. bacon lattice — just sayin.)
If you’ve ever done a construction paper project weaving strips of different colors together, you’ve basically made a less delicious bacon weave. If you’ve ever made a lattice pie crust, we can debate the deliciousness of savory versus sweet another time. Either way, you already have the skills you need.
Here’s a quick video that shows exactly how to do it, and there are details in the recipe card below if you prefer text-based learning. But all you need is eight to ten strips of good bacon and an understanding of how to alternate. Over, under, over, under. The rest is magic.
How to make the best caramelized onions
You can learn absolutely everything you need to know about making perfect caramelized onions here. This is a great step to do up to a week in advance, since they keep beautifully in the fridge. (You can even freeze them for up to a year so you’ll always have some on hand.)
For a quick tutorial, here’s our video.
Expert tips and FAQs
I tend to gravitate toward two different styles of patty depending on the vibe and cooking method of the day.
The video shows me cooking 1/3-pound burgers in a cast iron skillet to easily produce a gorgeous crust on the outside and totally customizable doneness level inside. In this case, I shape the patties into relatively even puck shapes and give them a bit of a smash with a sturdy spatula while they’re in the pan, to maximize surface area.
Another great method, which I’m more likely to use when grilling, is all about the divot. After forming a disc-shaped patty about the size of your palm, use your thumb to press a big, deep divot into the middle of the patty. The depression will disappear as the burger cooks, yielding a flat rather than bulging burger that cooks evenly.
You can make the caramelized onions far in advance if you like. They take a while to cook and keep beautifully, so I think this is a great idea. Make them up to a week in advance and store in the fridge, or up to a year in advance and store in the freezer.
It’s also 100% fine to cook the bacon lattice in advance and reheat in the microwave at serving time.
Burgers should be cooked and assembled right before serving.
Leftover elements can be stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week.
More favorite burger recipes
- Homemade Shake Shack
- Perfect veggie burgers
- And don’t forget the baked fries or salt and vinegar potatoes
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Bacon Weave Blue Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 batch caramelized onions
- 10 slices about 10 ounces/(285 grams) bacon
- 1 ½ pounds (510 grams) ground beef (I use 85% lean grass-fed beef)
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 ounces (115 grams) creamy blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola Dolce
- Shredded romaine lettuce
- Ketchup for serving
Instructions
- Up to a week in advance, make the caramelized onions.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment or foil.
- To make the bacon weave, start by laying four bacon slices next to each other, long sides touching, in the middle of the pan.
- Then, one by one starting at the top, lay each of the remaining pieces crosswise. Weave the first piece over, under, over, under the original slices. Weave the second piece under, over, under, over, etc.
- Bake bacon until done to your liking — 15 minutes plus, depending on the thickness of the cut.
- Drain on paper towels.
- When cooled enough, cut weave into four squares.
- Meanwhile, form four burger patties from the ground beef.
- Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper immediately before cooking. You can grill the burgers or cook in a cast-iron pan
- To grill, prepare a hot side and a cooler side of the grill with a little oil on the grates. Start burgers over direct heat, flipping once, to form a nice crust on both sides. This should take about three minutes per side. Transfer burgers to indirect heat to cook through to your liking (125°F for medium-rare, 130°F for medium on an instant-read thermometer).
- For cast iron, preheat a 12-inch cast iron pan over high heat until very hot. Set burgers into pan. Cook on high heat to form a crust on both sides, flipping once, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking according to internal temperature instructions above.
- Let burgers rest for 5 minutes before assembling.
- To assemble the burgers, toast the buns for a minute or two if you like, then layer on a burger patty, followed by a slice of blue cheese, some caramelized onions, bacon weave, shredded lettuce, and ketchup. Close buns and serve.
Notes
- A few notes on shaping burger patties:
- I tend to gravitate toward two different styles of patty depending on the vibe and cooking method of the day. The video shows me cooking ?-pound burgers in a cast iron skillet to easily produce a gorgeous crust on the outside and totally customizable doneness level inside. In this case, I shape the patties into relatively even puck shapes and give them a bit of a smash with a sturdy spatula while they’re in the pan, to maximize surface area.
- Another great method, which I’m more likely to use when grilling, is all about the divot. After forming a disc-shaped patty about the size of your palm, use your thumb to press a big, deep divot into the middle of the patty. The depression will disappear as the burger cooks, yielding a flat rather than bulging burger that cooks evenly.
- You can make the caramelized onions far in advance if you like. They take a while to cook and keep beautifully, so I think this is a great idea. Make them up to a week in advance and store in the fridge, or up to a year in advance and store in the freezer.
- It’s also 100% fine to cook the bacon lattice in advance and reheat in the microwave at serving time.
- Burgers should be cooked and assembled right before serving.
- Leftover elements can be stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use gluten-free buns.
- To make this recipe low-carb, omit the buns entirely.
- Techniques adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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