This juicy bacon blue cheese burger with balsamic mayo features the briny flavor of tangy blue cheese, smoky bacon, and a sharp bite of balsamic vinegar mayo!
This bacon blue cheese burger recipe is a classic that I have been making for years. As a matter of fact, this flavorful burger was one of my menu items when I operated a food truck.
The best bacon blue cheese burgers are smothered in a tangy balsamic mayo. This creamy sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. Mayo provides the creaminess, but the vinegar provides much-needed acidity to cut through the richness of this burger. A few shakes of black pepper add just the right amount of bite to this flavorful burger sauce.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pretzel bun - A toasted pretzel bun is the best choice, but a brioche hamburger bun is great too.
- 80/20 ground beef - Using overly lean ground beef will result in a dry burger.
- Thick cut bacon - Tomato bacon jam would be a flavorful substitution rather than using crisp bacon strips.
- Crumbled blue cheese
- Green leaf lettuce
- Red Onion - Using pickled red onions would be a fantastic upgrade, or even caramelized onions would be a flavorful addition if you are up for a little extra work.
- Butter
- Mayo
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Fresh ground black pepper
How to make it
Make your hamburger patties by separating the ground beef into ⅓ pound chunks and gently forming it into a rough ball, without compacting it. Then press firmly down with a flat object, such as a burger press, or flat-bottomed plate to form your hamburger patties. (Placing the patties on wax paper makes them easier to transfer into your skillet)
Cook the bacon until it is crispy in a large skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat, then set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Prepare the bun by lightly toasting the cut side of the bun. This improves the flavor and texture.
Prepare the burger sauce by mixing together the mayo, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper in a small bowl, then set aside.
Cook your hamburger patties in a large cast iron skillet set over medium high heat. Once the top of the patty begins to darken in color, flip once and top with blue cheese crumbles, then continue to cook until the burger reaches your desired doneness.
Assemble your burger by placing a leaf of green leaf lettuce on the bottom bun (this prevents the bun from getting soggy from soaking up grease), then add the hamburger patty, and strips of bacon. Cover the inside of the top half of the bun with a generous smear of balsamic mayo, and serve with truffle fries or sweet potato fries.
Tips & Tricks
- Do not press the burger patty as it is cooking. This will expel the juice from the meat and create a dry burger.
- Buttering the inside of your bun prior to toasting will add color, flavor, and texture. This is safest to do face down in a skillet over medium heat, rather than using a toaster oven.
- Resting the burger for a couple of minutes prior to serving will allow the juices to redistribute in the patty so they don't all spill out on the first bite.
Bacon Blue Cheese Burger with Balsamic Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 pretzel bun sliced
- ⅓ pound 80/20 hamburger flatted and shaped into a patty
- 1 slice of bacon cut in half
- 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
- 1 leaf green leaf lettuce
- 1 slice Red Onion thinly sliced
- Butter
Balsamic Mayo (enough for 4 burgers)
- ¼ cup Mayo
- ¾ teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 4 grinds of fresh ground pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until crispy, and set aside.
- Place hamburger patty in a hot skillet and cook over medium high until the top of the patty starts deepening in color, then flip.
- Add crumbled blue cheese to patty and top with slices of bacon and cook the patty to the desired doneness. Cooking time will vary depending on patty thickness and skillet temperature.
- While patty is cooking, butter the inside of the buns and lightly toast them face down in a separate skillet set over medium heat.
- To assemble, place green leaf lettuce on bottom bun, topped with onion, then burger patty, blue cheese, and bacon. Add ~1 tablespoon balsamic mayo to the top bun and cover!
Balsamic Mayo
- Combine all ingredients and mix. More or less pepper can be added to taste.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published here on December 18, 2020.
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