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Home » Blog » Recipes » Big-O Bacon Burgers

Big-O Bacon Burgers

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These Big-O Bacon Burgers will be a hit with the family!

Someone holding a burger with mushroom buns.

Warning: this recipe is dangerous. Not only is it one heck of a crowd-pleaser, but your family and friends will be kicking down your front door for a seat at your dinner table. Heed my words.

Originally featured in our cooking app (and later, in our first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans), this is a burger recipe that heaps umami on top of umami. These days, more and more restaurants and food pros are grinding bacon with beef to form their special burger blends, but like many of you, I don’t have a meat grinder on hand in my kitchen. My solution? Freeze the bacon, roughly chop it, and then pulse it in your food processor before mixing it with ground beef. (Remember to use sugar-free bacon to keep it Whole30-friendly!) Plus, I add cooked-and-cooled minced mushrooms for an extra blast of flavor power.

I usually eat these burgers in a lettuce wrap…

Paleo Big-O bacon burger on lettuce leaves.

…but if you have time, I highly recommend roasting Portobello mushroom caps and using them as “buns.” And don’t forget to load up the toppings!

Big-O bacon burger in between portobello mushrooms.

Time to make Big-O Bacon Burgers!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  •  2 tablespoons ghee, lard, or fat of choice, divided
  • ½ pound cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 4 ounces bacon, frozen and cross-cut into small pieces
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:

  • 12-inch cast iron skillet
  • Food Processor
  • Large bowl
  • Wire rack

Steps:

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and sauté the mushrooms until the liquid they released has cooked off. Set aside the cooked mushrooms to cool to room temperature.

Sautéed mushrooms in a cast iron skillet.

Pulse the frozen bacon pieces in the food processor to the consistency of ground meat. Just a few pushes should do it!

Frozen bacon getting pulsed in a food processor.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bacon, and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper.

Beef, bacon, and onions are in a bowl for the big-o bacon burgers.

Someone adding the sautéed mushrooms to a bowl with the burger meat mixture.

Using your hands, gently combine the ingredients. Be careful not to overwork the meat!

Someone gently combining the meat for the big-o bacon burgers.

Divide the mixture into four portions (or more if you’re making sliders), and use your hands to flatten each into ¾-inch-thick patties.

Someone forming patties of the paleo big-o bacon burgers.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and carefully add the patties.

A patty of big-o bacon burger frying in a cast iron skillet.

Fry up the patties in the hot fat, turning once. They should take about 3 minutes per side, whereas sliders should only take about 2 minutes per side. Of course, you are free to cook ’em as well-done as you wish.

Burgers frying in a cast iron skillet.

Transfer the patties to a wire rack so that any excess fat can drain off.

A big-o bacon burger resting on a wire rack.

Pile them with your favorite burger toppings, wrap them in lettuce leaves or roasted Portobello mushrooms, and chow down!

A big-o bacon burger on a plate in between portobello buns.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Big-O Bacon Burgers by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Big-O Bacon Burgers

This umami-packed crowd-pleasing burger combines ground beef, bacon, and sautéed mushrooms! It's Whole30-friendly, too, if you use sugar-free bacon!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Burgers
Keyword: burgers, gluten-free, keto, low carb, paleo, Primal, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 484kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ghee lard, or fat of choice, divided
  • ½ pound cremini mushrooms finely chopped
  • 4 ounces bacon frozen and cross-cut into small pieces
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and sauté the mushrooms until the liquid they released has cooked off. Set aside the cooked mushrooms to cool to room temperature.
  • Pulse the frozen bacon pieces in the food processor to the consistency of ground meat. Just a few pushes should do it!
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bacon, and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently combine the ingredients. Be careful not to overwork the meat!
  • Divide the mixture into four portions (or more if you’re making sliders), and use your hands to flatten each into ¾-inch-thick patties.
  • Melt the remaining tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and fry up the patties in the hot fat, turning once. They should take about 3 minutes per side, whereas sliders should only take about 2 minutes per side. Of course, you are free to cook ’em as well-done as you wish. 
  • Transfer the patties to a wire rack so that any excess fat can drain off. Pile them with your favorite burger toppings, wrap them in lettuce leaves or roasted Portobello mushrooms, and chow down!
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 41g | Fiber: 1g

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