BBQ recipes, product reviews, & how-to's
Baked beans are a classic side dish for any barbecue. They pair well with smoked brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. Most baked beans recipes will require soaking dry beans for hours then simmering all of the ingredients together for a few hours more. While the…
Pickles have grown in even more popularity recently and the fried pickle dip recipe is now the perfect dip to try! This easy pickle dip recipe stands out as it uses smoked cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and bacon. And dill pickles, of course (amongst other…
Crack burgers are very addictive due to the tasty combo of flavors such as bacon, ranch seasoning, and cheddar. This burger gets its name, as well as most of its ingredients, from crack chicken.
The recipe is simple and the end result is addicting…hence the name!
First things first: cook the bacon. Take six strips of bacon and cook either on a griddle or in a skillet at medium heat. Flip the strips as they start to shrivel and cook to desired doneness. For this recipe, I cook them to be a crispy so they crumble easily. If cooked to be a bit more soft, then dice up cooked bacon into 1/4 inch pieces. This should make about 1/2 cup of diced up bacon or crumbles. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add in one and a half pounds of ground beef. I recommend 80/20 blend (80% beef, 20% fat) due to the extra flavor the fat brings. Going leaner (anything more than 85/15) removes more of the natural flavor and burgers can be at risk of drying out easier during the cook.
With your ground beef in the bowl, add in those bacon pieces from earlier, along with one cup of shredded cheddar cheese, two tablespoons of ranch seasoning, and a fourth cup of sour cream. Mix by hand (I like to wear nitrile gloves) until the ingredients are well blended.
To form the burger patties, grab one-fourth of a pound of the ground beef mixture and roll into a ball. Once the ball is formed, press the burger into a patty by pressing your hands together and pushing together any cracks that may form on the edges. Doing this will make six burger patties.
Pro tip: press a divot into the center of each burger patty. Doing this will help keep the burger from shrinking up and forming a big clump in the middle. You will have a nice, even burger patty this way.
Cook the burgers on medium high heat (350-375 degrees) on a greased griddle. This can also be done over direct heat on a grill, too. I prefer the griddle (or skillet) in order to get a nice, even crust on the outsides of the burgers.
These burger patties should cook for five minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for four minutes on the other side before adding a slice of cheese on top. Once that cheese slice is on the crack burger, let cook for another minute or until the cheese is perfectly melted.
Pro Tip: to speed up the cheese melting process, close the lid to your grill or griddle. If no lid is available, covering with a metal mixing bowl works too.
Toasting hamburger buns is easy. After your burgers are done cooking, place hamburger buns face down on the same griddle or grill space. The grease left over will give the buns a little extra flavor and keep them from burning too quickly. Check every 30 seconds until it is toasted perfectly with a nice browned surface.
Ideal toppings for a crack burger are burger sauce and pickles. I have a burger sauce recipe that uses a mix of ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, relish, and Worcestershire sauce. It’s tangy and sweet flavor is perfect for burgers! It also makes for an excellent dipping sauce for your fries.
Another topping I love on cheeseburgers is caramelized onions. You only need three ingredients for these: onions, butter, and salt. These are pretty easy to make, but take about an hour so I recommend making ahead of time. Follow my simple tutorial on how to make caramelized onions here.
Hawaiian Roll Cheeseburger Sliders
Crack burgers are very addictive due to the tasty combo of flavors such as bacon, ranch seasoning, and cheddar. Top with cheese and put on a toasted brioche bun (with other toppings as desired) for an irresistible burger!
Note: Nutritional information isn't always accurate.
Inject some extra flavor into your burgers with this mouthwatering garlic bacon burger recipe! This recipe also includes a bonus recipe for a creamy burger sauce to compliment it. Let’s dig into the process. Ingredients Needed for Bacon Burger Recipe The list of ingredients for…
This bacon jam recipe is so easy and makes the perfect topping for burgers and appetizers! Follow these easy steps to make this game changing topping! What is in Bacon Jam? Bacon jam is a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Bacon jam ingredients include…
Chicken bacon ranch Hawaiian roll sliders are some of the best tasting sliders I’ve ever made! Using Hawaiian rolls, chicken, bacon, ranch, and cheese, these bacon ranch chicken sliders are going to be the talk of your next gathering!
Sliders are basically mini sandwiches or mini burgers. This makes them more versatile as they can be served up as either an appetizer, snack, entrée. You can also feel less guilty about eating more than one. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
Making bacon ranch chicken sliders is super simple and takes a few simple steps: preheat the grill, cook the meats, put it all together, place on the grill. Let me expand on those steps:
First things first, preheat your grill to 350 degrees over indirect heat. I prefer to use hickory wood when putting chicken bacon sliders on the grill, but you can use whichever you prefer.
While the grill is preheating, season chicken thighs with Santa Maria seasoning and cook them up either directly on the grill or in a skillet. While that is cooking, either cook raw bacon to desired doneness or simply use precooked bacon. Dice up bacon and chicken when done and rested. Set aside.
Using a 12-pack of Kings Hawaiian rolls, slice the connected rolls to separate the top from the bottom as if you’re making one large sandwich. Place bottom portion in a 9×11 greased foil pan.
Spread the cooked, diced chicken thighs all over the bread, followed by drizzling the ranch dressing to cover all sliders. Next, sprinkle on the chopped bacon, followed by placing slices of provolone cheese to cover each slider.
Place tops half of rolls on and apply melted butter to the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle the buttery tops with organic garlic pepper from Redmond Real Salt. If you want more ranch flavor, sprinkle on a ranch seasoning packet instead.
Cook the chicken bacon ranch sliders on the grill for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. The cheese will be melted and the tops of the Hawaiian rolls will feel toasted. It’s that simple! In fact, most of my sliders recipes, such as these s’mores sliders, cook on the grill at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
You can absolutely make these Hawaiian roll chicken sliders indoors in your oven. The subtle hint of smoke flavor from the grill will be missing, but the majority of the flavor will still be there.
Absolutely! Here are some of the popular ones:
These chicken bacon ranch Hawaiian roll sliders will become one of your new go-tos for gatherings! Can be served up as either an appetizer or an entrée.
Nutrition information is for guidance only and may not always be accurate.
BBQ chicken often gets overlooked on the menu, especially when up against other meats like brisket, pulled pork, or ribs. Chicken lollipops are bacon wrapped drumsticks you can eat with your hands! Trimming the bone may take a few attempts to get down (good thing…
Note: this post for bacon wrapped filet mignon Polish sausage is sponsored by Omaha Steaks. I occasionally collaborate with brands I trust to help keep Learning to Smoke up and going. I’m speaking from my own genuine experience and am not being asked by the…
The bacon wrapped jalapeno popper burger is a perfect blend of appetizer and main dish. A burger topped with bacon, three types of cheeses, roasted jalapeno, all packed within a toasted brioche bun? Does it get much better? You be the judge.
Let’s reference the bacon wrapped jalapeno popper recipe from a previous post. To make these, you’ll need jalapenos, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, chili lime seasoning, and bacon. Before you start prepping the jalapeno poppers, preheat your grill to 375 degrees with hickory wood over indirect heat. Now that you’ve done this, grab a cutting board, sharp knife, spoon, and the jalapenos. Cut the stem off the tops of the jalapenos. Next, slice them in half longways and use the spoon to scoop out the insides (seeds, rib, placenta).
In a medium sized bowl, mix a pack of softened cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese together. Note: if you want to add a little heat to the poppers, mix in some shredded pepper jack cheese. Even hotter? Leave some of the jalapeno seeds in. Take the spoon and scoop the cheeses into the sliced jalapenos. Sprinkle the chili lime seasoning on top. Now grab the strips of bacon and wrap one strip around one jalapeno popper. To keep the bacon from unraveling during the cook, I suggest wrapping the bacon a little tighter. Tucking in the ends of the bacon strips will help. Once this is done, sprinkle a little more chili lime seasoning on top.
Now that the grill is up to 375 degrees (remember, indrect heat), place the poppers on a baking sheet or cooling rack and cook for 30 minutes or until the bacon reaches your desired crispiness.
Since the jalapeno poppers will take a half an hour to cook, now is the time to get the burgers prepped. Using a pound of 80/20 ground beef, mix in a bowl with Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Make 1/3 pound burgers, so divide the one pound of ground beef into thirds (math is power, y’all).
On a separate grill, use direct heat to cook your burgers. Flip once during the cook, twice if you need. When nearing the finish, place a slice of pepper jack cheese on the burgers. Remove when cheese is melted.
Don’t underestimate the clout the hamburger bun brings to this bacon wrapped jalapeno popper burger, or any burger for that matter. I prefer brioche buns because they provide a little more dense flavor that only enhances the burger eating experience. With this said, toast the buns face down. Toast them to your liking, but I recommend getting them golden brown before removing from the grill.
Now that everything is done cooking, put it together! Put the beef patty on first, then the jalapeno poppers. You can fit either two or three on top. Since I like a little sauce, I like to mix ketchup, mayo, and hot sauce together and use as a spread on the bottom half of the bun.
Make sure to snap a picture of your freakin’ amazing bacon wrapped jalapeno popper burger because it won’t last long!
Cheeseburgers are good, but cheeseburgers with bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers on top are better.
1. To make optional sauce, combine 1/4 Cup mayo, 1/8 Cup ketchup, 1 tsp hot sauce in small bowl. Mix until blended.
2. To make this burger spicier, keep some jalapeno seeds in the poppers. Also, put shredded pepper jack cheese in them.
3. It is recommend to prep and cook the burgers while the poppers are on the grill to optimize time.
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
If you’ve ever been to a gathering of sorts, especially those where watching sports is involved, then there’s a chance you’ve had smoked bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. But have you had them stuffed with chorizo? And with a kiss of hickory smoke? Next level. I’ll…
