| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 bunch roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons pepper
- Grapeseed oil, for cooking the burger
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 slices Cheddar
- 4 hamburger buns, toasted
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup arugula
Instructions
- For the bacon jam: Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp and the fat has rendered out. Allow to cool, then chop the bacon.
- In the same pan with the bacon drippings, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened. Add the brown sugar, vinegar and thyme; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 20 minutes. Stir in the bacon; remove from the heat.
- For the burger: Divide the beef into 4 equal portions and form into burger patties. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a pan or griddle over high heat. Cook the patties until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip over the patties and cook until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side or to the desired degree of doneness, about 4 minutes for medium-rare. Add 1 slice of American cheese and 1 slice of Cheddar to the top of each patty during the last minute of cooking, then top the pan with a basting cover or tent the patties with aluminum foil to melt the cheese.
- Coat the bottom of the buns with mayo. Put the patties on the mayo-coated buns and top with the arugula and bacon jam. Sandwich the burger together with the tops of the buns and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1383 |
| Total Fat | 112 g |
| Saturated Fat | 37 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 50 g |
| Cholesterol | 209 mg |
| Sodium | 1593 mg |
Reviews
Not a review but a question. Would this still be good if I made it a day ahead?
I was so excited to make this! It turned out to be the best burger I’ve ever made and one of the best I’ve ever eaten! I noticed on the show Manny used a yellow onion and used an immersion blender in the jam after it was made. I did both of those things and the product was unbelievable.
I was anxiously awaiting this recipe since the episode!! I actually made a meatloaf (ground veal, port, beef) and made the bacon jam. I slighly cooled the meatloaf and topped with the bacon jam!! HUGE hit! The bacon jam was awesome!!
Just had this for dinner tonight. During the show, Bobby Flay said something to the effect of, “One of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time.” I say the same thing myself. I grilled my burgers and caramelized the onions in the jam…otherwise stayed true to the recipe. The bacon jam totally rocks!
I only made the bacon jam … it is EVERYTHING!!! Just a personal preference I doubled the amount of onion since it cooks down so much. So yummy!
We made this tonight for our burgers and absolutely loved it! I didn’t have Apple cider vinegar, so I substituted red wine vinegar and it was DELICIOUS!
After reading another review, I spooned out about 1/2 of the bacon drippings after cooking the onions and used a little more than 1/2 Cup of brown sugar to get the bacon to “jam”. Other than that, it was worth the effort.
I have had the opportunity to try chef Mannys burgers personally while he was cooking at the fire house. They were the Great burgers I have ever had ! Manny if you see this, were glad to have the recipe, can try to make them at home. But trying them first hand by the chef himself, was a privilege. Thanks Manny.
I made this tonight and I should of drain some of the fat cause it didn’t “jam” up like it should of. I did add a little bit more sugar cause my family doesn’t like the vinegar as much. I made this into a calzone with chopped up left over hamburgers, the jam on top and shredded cheese. Last 10 mins put more cheese on top of the calzone. It came out pretty good!
I am SO excited to try Mannys recipe!!!! Glad it was shared!