Everything tastes better with bacon, and these homemade beef and bacon burger patties are no exception. They make for a meaty, juicy burger full of flavour, and the best part is that they’re 100% meat patties with no bread or eggs, making them a good option for anyone who can’t have gluten or who has an egg allergy.
They’re definitely NOT for vegans though. Just in case the words “beef” and “bacon” didn’t make that clear already:)
The benefits of grass-fed beef
While these homemade burger patties can be made with any old store-bought ground beef and bacon, I highly recommend finding a source of local, free range, grass-fed and finished beef for this (and all of you other beef needs). Not only is it a much more humane and ethical choice than factory farmed meat, it’s healthier too!
Grass-fed beef is leaner, cleaner and higher in nutrients and essential fatty acids than factory farmed beef, making it a much better choice for overall health. Not to mention, if you purchase it locally, you’ll be supporting farmers in your area, which is good for the health of your local economy. This is also super important right now as we’re still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic as I write this, and we could all do to support more small farmers and local businesses in this time of need.
As for the bacon, if you can get that locally as well, I recommend it. Although I admit I do really like the Kirkland brand thick-cut bacon from Costco (which is also much more affordable than any bacon I can get locally), so it’s usually the default bacon that we use in this recipe.
Beef and bacon: the perfect pair
When we first started making our own burger patties at home, we made all-beef patties that we “fluffed up” with bread crumbs and bound together with egg. And they were okay, but they weren’t the mouth-watering, ultimate burger patties we were going for.
Part of the reason was because we were using super lean grass-fed beef, and so our burger patties were missing the fat content and flavour that makes a juicy burger taste amazing. So my always innovative husband decided to remedy the situation by adding chopped raw bacon pieces to our beef patties, which ended up being the secret sauce to upping our burger game.
O.M.G. The first time we made those delicious burgers was the day that we decided we’d never buy pre-made burger patties from the store ever again.
Over time we’ve played with this recipe until we got all of the spices just right too, and when we got a meat grinder attachment for our Kitchenaid stand mixer, we decided to start grinding our beef and bacon together to make a fine-ground, mixed beef and bacon burger meat. (Yes, you read that right… We re-grind our ground beef with raw bacon to make our own meat mixture for our burger patties!)
We have found that grinding the beef and bacon together is the best way to give these bacon burgers a more uniform taste and texture. But if you don’t have a meat grinder then just chop the bacon slices into small pieces and mix with the ground beef.
To that, add some salt, pepper and spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika…) and give it all a good mix together. (Using your hands to mix it all together works best. Just make sure they’re nice and clean first!)
Finally, to shape them, we like to use a large round cookie cutter mold that we press the meat mixture into. Using a mold helps us to make each hamburger patty perfectly round and uniform in size, although you can totally just shape these patties with your hands.
From here they’re ready to either throw on the barbecue right away, or can be frozen for later use.
A great freeze-ahead dinner option
If freezing, cut small squares of parchment paper to layer in between the burger patties so they don’t stick together. Then place the stack in a freezer bag and squeeze the air out. Store in the freezer for up to three months before using.
If using frozen patties to make hamburgers, you can throw the patties directly on the barbecue and cook from frozen. No need to thaw.This makes these particular burgers a great make-ahead freezer meal option for busy nights and impromptu summer barbecues:)
Assembling the perfect beef and bacon burger
Of course, you’ll need burger buns to go with your patties (given that you DON’T have a gluten allergy), as well as a few choice condiments. I highly recommend trying out this recipe for homemade hamburger buns, as well as this homemade Rhubarbeque sauce and this super quick and easy home-made mayonnaise. Oh, and don’t forget to put some homemade dill pickles on top of the burger!
Add a little melted cheese, lettuce and sliced tomato and you’ve got one hell of a homemade hamburger!
Great for summer barbecues, camping, Canada Day or July 4th, backyard birthdays and pretty much any other time that calls for homemade hamburgers, these beef and bacon burger patties are guaranteed to impress anyone lucky enough to enjoy them, including you!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness:)
Homemade Beef and Bacon Burger Patties
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon (or 5 thinner slices)
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
- Chop bacon as fine as possible and mix together with ground beef in a large bowl (or cut bacon into slightly larger pieces and use a meat grinder to grind together with the beef).
- Add Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper and mix by hand until all ingredients are well combined.
- Form burger patties by hand (or use a large round cookie/biscuit cutter and press meat into round patties). You should get about 7 or 8 burger patties out of this recipe depending on size.
- Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side and enjoy right away on a toasted bun, or freeze for later by using small squares of parchment paper to separate each patty and then placing the stack of patties in a freezer bag. Use frozen burger patties within three months.
Related Posts:
- Homemade Hamburger Buns
- “Rhubarbecue” Homemade Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
- One-Minute Homemade Mayo
- Vinegar Dill Pickles Recipe + Canning Instructions
- Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Vanilla & Brown Butter Peach Cobbler Recipe
Should the bacon be cooked first??
Nope – you add it in raw 🙂 either chopped as finely as possible or ground into the meat itself. Especially if you’re using very lean beef – the bacon fat will add so much flavour!