I distinctly remember the first time I had bacon jam on a burger in a tiny little burger joint in the middle of nowhere. I was determined to 1) figure out how to make bacon jam 2) add it to every burger until the end of time. I did both and my life has gotten significantly better.

This Juicy Bacon Jam Burger will blow your mind!

I’m a huge fan of a good burger (note the dozen or so burger recipes on my site!) and the tangy-sweet bite of bacon jam goes so well in a burger with melty cheese and juicy beef.

Bacon jam (and these burgers) aren’t hard to make either! I’ll show you everything you need to know and these will be you go-to burgers all grilling season long.

What is bacon jam?

If you're not familiar, bacon jam is a combination of bacon and caramelized onions in a tangy sweet sauce. It's a . . . spiritual experience. And thankfully it's easy to make and I've got a recipe right here for you: Bacon Onion Jam.

It comes together in about 30-ish min with just a handful of ingredients. Use it on burgers, grilled meats, and use it to make the best grilled cheese of your life. (I'm not exaggerating.)

Bacon Jam Burger Recipe Ingredients

• Ground beef: Any kind will do. We're making our own patties here.
• Steak seasoning: I like to make my own Homemade Steak Seasoning, but just use your favorite kind or an all-purpose BBQ rub.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Cheese of your choice: for this recipe I like smoked gouda or another type of smoked cheese. Munster works well, too, an melts nicely.
• A batch of Bacon Jam: Make this earlier in the day or up to 4-5 days in advance. If it's chilled you'll have to warm it up a little since the bacon drippings will make the bacon jam firm up when chilled.
• Buns and other burger fixings: We're obsessed with this Burger Sauce. It add a creamy element to these burgers!

How to make a Bacon Burger

1. Prep your patties by adding the steak seasoning and Worcestershire to your ground beef. Divide it into 6 patties or balls, if you're doing smash burgers.
2. Heat up your grill or griddle. If you're doing smash burgers, put the balls of meat on the hot griddle and smash them really flat. Cook the burgers until they're as done as you prefer.
3. Add cheese during the last couple minutes of grilling as well as a big spoonful of bacon jam.
4. Assemble burgers on toasted buns.

Bacon Hamburger variations

• Make it spicy: Add some diced jalapeño to your bacon jam and a few pinches of cayenne to your ground beef to give these burgers a little kick.
• Switch up the meat: Use ground chicken, pork, turkey, or a combination of them for a different type of burger.
• Low carb style: Swap out the bun for a lettuce wrap. Or turn this into a "burger salad" situation over a pile of salad greens and a drizzle of burger sauce. (YUM.)
• Smoke it: Add an extra smoky component by making Smoked Burgers on your pellet grill or smoker!

Bacon Jam Burger Recipe Tips

1. If you’ve made the bacon jam ahead of time it has most likely congealed a bit. Set the container in the sun or next to the grill so it can loosen up before you use it. Or put it on your burger a minute or two earlier so it has time to soften.
2. Don’t overcook your burgers! Even bacon jam can’t save a dry, overcooked burger patty.
3. Don’t add your cheese too early. I’d recommend adding the cheese and bacon jam at the same time – the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
4. Make your bacon jam ahead of time! It stays good in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

How to Serve A Bacon Jam Burger

These burgers are great on their own or with any of the variations above. If you're looking for side dishes, these are some of my easy recipes that would work really well with these burgers:

Best Sweet Potato Fries

Instant Pot Potato Salad

Sweet Kale Salad

Avocado Lettuce Salad

Storing Leftover Bacon Burgers

If you happen to have leftovers, store any cooked patties in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I highly recommend reheating theses patties in a lidded skillet over medium high heat with a few tablespoons of water added so they don't dry out.

More Delicious Burger Recipes on Perry's Plate

Smoked Burgers

Jalapeno Burgers (smash burger style)

Mushroom Burgers

Goat Cheese Burger

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If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!