The Bacon Ranch Burger
BACON & RANCH.
We don’t know why, but bacon and ranch is a combo that’s just plain hard to beat. Sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta even… to us, they go together like peanut butter and jelly!
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This Hickok Hamburger delicacy is called, The Bacon Ranch Burger.
Personally, I have always loved any food that involves bacon… but, throw in ranch dressing and I can’t get enough! It started with pizza, then Subway sandwiches & a “Southwest” pasta I had at Chili’s once. The pairing is so delicious, it deserves a juicy Hickok Hamburger!
We say this all the time, but we LOVE the fact that we have the ability to create these craft hamburgers in the comfort of our own home without having to pack up the baby and head to a restaurant! We created this blog with hopes that other families would discover their chef-like skills & abilities to follow a good recipe and create a burger worth telling people about!
Before cooking this recipe, please allow plenty of time for thawing your beef! We recommend thawing 1 of 2 ways. Beef thaws best in the refrigerator! For a pound of ground beef, we suggest at least 6 hours of defrost time. When making burgers, you want your beef completely thawed so it's easy to work with. Second best option would be thawing in cold water. If your beef is vacuum sealed, you are probably safe to soak the package straight in the water. Otherwise, place your frozen beef in a sealed Ziploc bag for its defrost bath! Change the water out every 20-30 minutes until the meat is fully thawed.
This is our second stuffed burger, and we are getting better and better at it! You will too! First, we prepare the filling! In a medium bowl, add your cooked crumbled bacon, shredded mexican cheese & ¼ cup ranch dressing (more if you desire). Stir well until bacon and cheese are completely covered in ranch and the mixture looks combined. Set this filling aside for later.
Next, we mold our patties! Because these burgers are stuffed, we suggest using 1.5-2 lbs of ground beef to ensure that you have enough meat to form patties around a ball of stuffing! But the size of the burgers is ultimately your decision! Take your beef and separate it into 8 equal sized balls (each patty will take 2). Flatten the balls until they're pretty thin, but not thin enough to tear. Scoop out a spoonful of stuffing onto one patty, then cover it with a second patty and pinch the edges together to enclose the mixture. Repeat to make 4 patties total. Season the patties with salt and pepper to taste.
Now we're ready to get cookin'! Depending on your time and/or energy level, set your grill or stove to medium-high heat. We prefer our burgers prepared at a medium doneness, so we watch & cook until the center of the patties reach 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit. (Rare: 120-125 degrees, Medium Rare: 130-135, Medium: 140-145, Medium Well: 150-155, Well Done: 160) Once your burgers are cooked to desired doneness, remove from direct heat & cover with more grated mexican cheese. Now is a great time to toast your buns if you prefer! We always do.
To build this gourmet hamburger, start with your toasted bun & spread mayonnaise (or ranch or ketchup, whatever you like) on both sides. Place your fat, stuffed burger on the bun, then top your favorite fixings. We chose red onion, sliced tomato and fresh hamburger lettuce!
We always love a good crinkle fry pairing, seasoned with salt, pepper & cajun seasoning. Last but not least, to our Texas peeps, you can never go wrong with an ice cold Lone Star beer. If you're not a Texas resident... Once again, we're sorry you have to miss out on this Texas delicacy!
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We hope you enjoy this gourmet hamburger recipe in the comfort of your own home! Bring the restaurant quality food to your kitchen table, then amplify it even more with Hickok Hamburger's firm, juicy ground beef patties. You WILL taste the difference!
The Bacon Ranch Burger
Defrost Time: ~6 hours in refrigerator
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Stuffing:
- Cooked, crumbled bacon (5-6 pieces)
- 1 C shredded mexican cheese
- ¼-½ C ranch dressing
Hamburger Patties:
- 1.5-2 lbs Hickok Hamburger ground beef
- salt & pepper to taste
- Extra shredded mexican cheese to melt on top
- 4 hamburger buns
Fixings:
- Condiment of choice - we chose mayonnaise (ketchup or ranch would be good!)
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Lettuce
Instructions:
- DEFROST MEAT - please make sure you leave enough time to defrost your ground beef completely before starting.
- STUFFING: In a medium bowl, combine cooked, crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and ranch dressing. Mix well & set aside.
- BURGERS: Separate your beef into 8 equally sized balls & flatten them (but not to the point they will tear). Take a spoonful of stuffing and place in the center of a patty, then cover with a second patty and pinch the sides together to merge the two patties around the stuffing. Repeat for remaining patties, then season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Heat grill (or stovetop) to medium-high heat. Grill hamburger patties until they reach desired doneness. (Rare: 120-125 degrees, Medium Rare: 130-135, Medium: 140-145, Medium Well: 150-155, Well Done: 160) Once patties are cooked, remove from direct heat and top with shredded mexican cheese to melt.
- Toast the hamburger buns.
- Let the patties rest for 3-4 minutes before assembling.
- To assemble your Bacon Ranch Burger, spread mayonnaise (or condiment of choice) on both sides of your toasted bun, place your patty, then top with tomato, red onion and lettuce.
- ENJOY!
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If you try this recipe...
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