The Ultimate Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger: Your Go-To Summer Grilling Recipe
Summer beckons with the promise of outdoor cooking, and nothing says summer quite like a mouthwatering, easy homemade hamburger. Prepare yourself for the ultimate Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger, perfectly grilled and topped with premium Cache Valley cheese and a tantalizingly zesty, spicy ranch sauce!
This delicious recipe is brought to you as part of a sponsorship with Dairy Farmers of America. All thoughts and opinions are my own, ensuring an authentic culinary experience.
The arrival of summer instantly brings to mind the delightful aroma of a barbecue. Cooking outside, enjoying the longer days, and not heating up the house are just some of the reasons why homemade hamburgers are a beloved tradition all season long. To craft this sensational Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger, I sourced Cache Valley® Pepper Jack Cheese and Cache Valley® Sharp Cheddar from my local Safeway, ensuring both convenience and exceptional flavor for these quick and easy burgers.
While summer often feels like a time for relaxation, it can actually be quite bustling. School’s out, schedules become less rigid, and the days stretch longer. Yet, somehow, it remains a busy and often hectic period of the year. This is precisely why I prioritize easy recipes that can get dinner on the table quickly, without the need to visit multiple stores for obscure ingredients. This Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger is designed to be a lifesaver on those demanding summer evenings.
The Secret to Perfectly Juicy Homemade Hamburgers
The foundation of any truly great burger is a perfectly tender and juicy patty. These hamburger patties are crafted to achieve just that – a succulent texture and rich flavor that will have everyone reaching for seconds. Achieving this quality starts with fresh, high-quality ground beef and a few simple but important preparation steps. The result is a burger that tastes incredible and feels like a gourmet meal from your own backyard grill.
When it comes to the cheese, a crucial component of any cheeseburger, Cache Valley® cheese consistently delivers. Hailing from a special region, Cache Valley® cheese is renowned for its exceptional quality and delightful taste. Beyond its culinary appeal, it’s also a valuable source of protein and calcium, making it a wholesome addition to your family’s meals, especially for active kids and adults alike.
Cache Valley® cheese melts beautifully, creating a creamy, irresistible layer over your hot burger patty. The Pepper Jack variant offers a creamy texture infused with a zesty, subtle heat that awakens the palate. Complementing this, the Sharp Cheddar brings a distinct tanginess and robust flavor, making it absolutely ideal for summer grilling. When these two are combined on a Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger, you’re treated to a magnificent blend of creamy, tangy, zesty, and spicy goodness in every single bite, creating an unforgettable flavor experience.
Effortless Grocery Shopping with Safeway and Cache Valley®
You can easily find Cache Valley® Cheese in the dairy aisle of your local Safeway store, making it incredibly convenient to pick up this essential ingredient. To enhance your shopping experience and unlock fantastic savings, be sure to download the Safeway App! Right now, you can snag a $1 off coupon for Cache Valley® Cheese, along with access to a plethora of other coupons and personalized deals. The app also allows you to create and manage your shopping list, simplifying your grocery run and helping you save time and money.
Safeway is truly a one-stop shop for everything needed to create this incredible recipe. They consistently stock all the brands I trust, ensuring quality and familiarity. You’ll find the freshest produce for the crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes that perfectly complement these bacon cheeseburgers. Don’t forget to swing by the bakery section to pick up freshly baked hamburger buns, providing the perfect soft foundation for your juicy patties. Safeway makes it incredibly easy to gather all the components for a truly delicious homemade meal.
Crafting Your Homemade Hamburgers: Step-by-Step Guide
Making delicious hamburgers at home is incredibly rewarding. With a few key techniques, you can ensure your patties are juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked every time. Follow these steps to create the ideal foundation for your Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger:
- **Avoid Overmixing:** This is perhaps the most crucial tip for juicy burgers. When combining ingredients for your patties, be very careful not to overmix the meat. Overworking the ground beef can make the patties dense and tough. Mix just until the ingredients are barely incorporated.
- **The Magic of Grated Onion:** For a secret touch that boosts flavor and moisture, I love to use grated onion in my hamburger patties. Grating the onion ensures that its savory juices and flavor are evenly distributed throughout the ground beef, helping the burgers stay incredibly moist and tender as they cook.
- **Combine Your Patty Ingredients:** In a large bowl, place your ground beef. Add the finely grated onion, along with a teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of black pepper, and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. The Worcestershire sauce adds a fantastic depth of umami and a subtle savory complexity.
- **Forming the Patties:** Use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients in the bowl. Once everything is just blended, divide the mixture into four equal portions. Carefully shape each portion into a patty that is approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Keep the edges smooth.
- **The Thumbprint Indentation:** Before grilling, press a small, shallow dent into the center of each patty with your thumb. This simple but effective trick prevents the burgers from puffing up in the middle and turning into a ball shape when they cook, ensuring a flat, even surface for your toppings.
- **Preheat Your Grill:** Get your grill ready! Preheat it to a medium-high temperature, aiming for about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200°C). A hot grill is essential for getting a good sear on your patties and locking in those delicious juices.
- **Grill the Patties:** Once the grill is hot, carefully place the hamburger patties on the grates. Cook for approximately 5 minutes on the first side. This timing is ideal for a medium-rare to medium burger, but you can adjust based on your preferred doneness.
- **Add the Cheese:** After flipping the patties, immediately place a slice of Cache Valley® Pepper Jack cheese and a slice of Cache Valley® Sharp Cheddar cheese on top of each burger. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, or just until the cheese is beautifully melted and begins to bubble.
Discovering Cache Valley® Creamery: Quality You Can Trust
Cache Valley® Creamery is a brand that has been steadily growing in popularity, particularly gaining a strong foothold in areas like Denver. Named after the verdant region in Utah from which it originates, the creamery embodies a deep commitment to its communities and the families it serves. This dedication is reflected in the quality of their products, making it a brand you can truly feel good about buying and supporting.
Beyond the fantastic cheese for your burgers, keep an eye out for other excellent Cache Valley® products during your next grocery trip. Their Whole Milk Mozzarella Shreds, for example, are perfect for an upcoming pizza night! Imagine the delicious, stretchy melt on your homemade pizzas, bringing that authentic pizzeria taste right to your kitchen.
More Delicious Summer Grilling Recipes to Enjoy
If you’ve mastered the art of the Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger and are looking for more ways to make the most of your grill this summer, here’s a curated list of other fantastic grilling recipes that are perfect for any warm-weather gathering. Expand your culinary horizons and delight your family and friends with these crowd-pleasing options:
- Grilled Chicken Legs: A family favorite, easy to marinate and grill for tender, flavorful results.
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin: An elegant yet simple dish that cooks quickly and is bursting with herbaceous notes.
- Best Turkey Burgers: A lighter alternative to beef, these turkey burgers are incredibly juicy and versatile with toppings.
- Chicken Skewers: Fun, customizable, and perfect for adding colorful vegetables alongside tender chicken pieces.
- Grilled Chicken with Peach Barbecue Sauce: A delightful blend of sweet and smoky flavors, ideal for a unique summer meal.
- Grilled Potato Packs: An incredibly convenient side dish that cooks in foil right on the grill, absorbing all the smoky flavor.
- Grilled Pork Chops: A classic grilling choice, delivering juicy and tender pork chops with minimal effort.
- Margarita Grilled Chicken: Infused with zesty lime and a hint of tequila, this chicken is a fiesta for your taste buds.
Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger
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Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Hamburger Patties
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
- 4 slices Sharp Cheddar
- 4 Hamburger buns
- Lettuce
- Tomato
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce: mayo, sour cream, chopped fresh parsley, finely chopped green onion, seeded and minced jalapeno, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly until well blended and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble your burgers, allowing the flavors to meld.
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In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, grated onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. It’s crucial not to overmix the meat, as this can lead to tough burgers. Combine just until the ingredients are barely incorporated.
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Divide the seasoned ground beef mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a flat, round patty, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. To prevent the patties from bulging in the center during cooking, press a small indentation in the middle of each patty with your thumb.
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Preheat your grill to high heat, aiming for approximately 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Once hot, carefully place the hamburger patties on the grill grates. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side for a perfectly cooked, juicy burger.
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Once you flip the patties, immediately top each with one slice of Cache Valley® Pepper Jack and one slice of Cache Valley® Sharp Cheddar cheese. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is wonderfully melted and bubbly, and the burgers reach your desired doneness.
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Serve these irresistible Spicy Bacon Cheeseburgers on toasted hamburger buns. Layer with fresh, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato slices, and a generous dollop of your homemade spicy ranch sauce. Pair with your favorite summer sides for an unforgettable outdoor meal!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
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