An unbelievably delicious bacon blue cheese burger with onion jam. The ultimate combinate of sweet and savory.
When it comes to burgers, I'm a bit bougie. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat regular cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato, but if I'm cooking, I'm always looking to spice it up. My favorite flavor combination for burgers is sweet and savory. These are a similar flavor to our Goat Cheese and Fig Jam Sliders. There's nothing like that bit of sweetness on top of a burger.
Some restaurants will cook the blue cheese right into the burger, but I always felt like it dried out the burger and I never like the way it makes the meat taste. I put the blue cheese on right after I flip the burgers. It allows the blue cheese to get a little char, but it also doesn't ruin the burger. Then I top it with bacon and onion jam.
Everywhere I go, people serve me regular cheeseburgers. Look, I love a cheeseburger as much as the next guy. But spice it up for your guests. Make a meal they might remember. The onion jam is the best part and the hardest part and you can make that a day in advance!
Ingredients for this Unreal Bacon Blue Cheese Burger
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1.5 lbs ground beef, 85% lean
- 10 slider buns
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
Substitutions and Ingredient Notes
White balsamic vinegar. You can substitute regular balsamic vinegar. I used a white balsamic vinegar infused with Sicilian lemon. Any balsamic vinegar will do as long as it is not sugar-free.
Bacon. I always use uncured bacon for burgers. It will be a little pricier but it's worth it. It is thicker and crunchier, plus the flavor is better.
Blue cheese crumbles. You can of course substitute the blue cheese with a cheese of your choice. The only two kinds of cheese I would use other than blue cheese would be gorgonzola or feta. Anything else you use will just be making a different recipe. Which is fine, but it will not be what is described here.
How to make the Bacon Blue Cheese Burger
Form the 10 patties first and season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper and set in the fridge for later. No blue cheese goes into the patties.
How to make onion jam
In a large saucepan, add olive oil on medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute until translucent about 8 minutes. The onions should be nice and soft before we add the other ingredients.
Then add balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Allow it to simmer for 20 -30 minutes to reduce. You may lower the heat to medium-low to avoid burning the sugar.
Onion jam has a lot of sugar in it and requires you to pretty much stay in the kitchen the entire time it is cooking. You have to stir it often because the sugar is apt to burn. the liquid should be very thick by the end of 20 minutes and start to look like thinned-out honey. The color should be golden. Remove from the pan immediately when finished and place in a bowl to cool.
Frying the bacon and assembling the burger
While the onion jam is cooking, fry your bacon. I always grill burgers on high. Wait until the grill reaches 500-600°F. After flipping the burgers, add the blue cheese crumble onto each patty for the remaining cook time. After you close the grill up the blue cheese will slightly melt to the burger and char on top a bit. Cook until the burgers reach your desired temperature.
Assemble the burgers with bacon and onion jam on the buns and serve!
How long does onion jam last in the refrigerator?
Onion jam can last up to 7 days in the refrigerator if you place it in a container and place the container in an ice bath. This is how I kept things safe when catering. If you leave it out to cool without doing this, I'd toss it after 5 days.
Bacon Blue Cheese Burgers are a great way to spice up your summer parties. Plus, they are super easy to make for only the people who want them! Most of the recipe is just toppings. It's so easy to switch up for those folks who still want their American cheese!
These sliders are perfect for appetizers or the main course. You can also switch it up and make the 10 patties down into 6 patties, and make regular-size burgers if you're looking to make normal burgers!
Let me know what you think of these burgers by leaving a review below! Follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice or Tiktok @alwaysfromscratch.
Check out some of our other sliders below! The goat cheese and fig jam slider is very similar to these bacon blue cheese sliders. The same tangy and savory combo!
📖 Recipe
Bacon Blue Cheese Burger
Equipment
- grill or cast iron
- large saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1.5 lbs ground beef, 85% lean
- 10 slider buns
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Form 10 patties and season both sides of patties with salt and pepper and set in fridge for later.
- In a large saucepan, add olive oil on medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute until translucent about 8 minutes. Then add balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Allow it to simmer for 20 -30 minutes to reduce. You may lower the heat to medium-low to avoid burning the sugar. Stir often because the sugar will burn. the liquid should be very thick by the end of 20 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately when finished.
- While the onion jam is cooking fry your bacon. Grill your burgers on high heat until they reach the desired temperature. After flipping the burgers, add the blue cheese crumble onto each patty for the remaining cook time.
- Assemble burgers with bacon and onion jam.
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