Cowboy Burgers
I love burgers on the grill and there are about a million ways to make them I suppose. Some people are burger purists - insisting that burgers must be meat and nothing more, putting all of the additional flavors on top of the cooked burger. Others don't mind mixing flavor accents right into their burgers. I personally like burgers both ways, and this recipe is one of those mix-in types.I have no idea how Cowboy Burgers came to be named, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with football and everything to do with hard working ranch hands. They do usually involve some element of steak sauce and bacon at minimum.
To me a Cowboy Burger should have a smoky element and a spicy element - so I like to use a combination of Worcestershire, BBQ and steak sauce, with just a dash of Liquid Smoke, and a bit of cayenne and chipotle chili powder and then like to top them with a thick cut peppered bacon. That combination gives a nice, spicy kick, without setting your mouth on fire. I prefer not to use salt on burgers for the most part since it tends to draw out moisture.
Here's a tip. If you line a baking pan with aluminum foil, you can use it to place the raw burger patties on, and then, once you transfer those to the grill, remove the foil, discard it, and reuse the baking pan to carry in the cooked hamburger patties.
Check out more of my burger recipes on Pinterest!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
Recipe: Cowboy Burgers
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 10 min | Yield: About 6 to 8 burgers
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thick cut, peppered bacon, at least one slice per burger, cooked crisp
- 2.25 pounds ground chuck
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon steak sauce (like A1)
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Splash of Liquid Smoke, optional
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-2 large Vidalia or yellow onion, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices with rings intact, battered and deep fried or raw, 1 slice per burger
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Additional Garnishes: Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, Fire 'n Ice pickles or pickled jalapenos.
Cook the bacon to crisp and set aside. Place the ground beef in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, steak, bbq and Worcestershire sauces, and Liquid Smoke, with the chili powder and cayenne. Add to the ground beef and use a fork to toss. Form into 6 to 8 large, tight balls and place onto a foiled lined baking sheet. Gently flatten and shape the patties and create a very slight thumb indention into them. This will help the burgers from puffing up and becoming rounded instead of flat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; set aside.
When ready to cook, grill the burgers on well-oiled grates, indented side up first, over direct and high heat, for about 3 minutes, or until seared and browned. Turn and continue cooking until done, another 2 to 4 minutes, or until done to desired level. Do not press down on the burgers! Meanwhile also add the onions to the grate and cook until lightly browned, turn and cook other side. Toast buns on the top rack of the grill.
Place a thin layer of mayonnaise on both sides of the bun. Add the burger and top with BBQ sauce and pickles or jalapenos. Sprinkle with a pinch of shredded cheddar and top with grilled onion, tomato, bacon and lettuce. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 8 burgers, depending on the size
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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All American Burger
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Wow ! That sounds like an awesome burger!
ReplyDeleteWhy the indention? And why that side down first? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteHi Mousy - burgers sometimes tend to sort of puff up - especially when they are larger - so that when they are done they are kind of warped and rounded a bit instead of flat. Pressing a slight indentation into them helps - and that should have read to put the indentation side UP - need to correct that. When you put that side up first, when the burger puffs it kind of fills that indentation in to give a flatter overall burger.
ReplyDeleteYum...! wat a delicious burger...! very tempting click too.
ReplyDeleteYUM!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you grill it on a Big Green Egg??
:)
Making me hungry. I've never added anything other than worcestshire and spices. I love a juicy hamburger.
ReplyDeleteI am drooling over here! What fantastic burgers!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit to your blog--love it. :)
i like the aluminum foil tip! this looks delish!
ReplyDeleteanne
www.anniebakes.net
Please tell me that you're in the process of doing a recipe book! This has quickly become my go-to recipe site!
ReplyDeleteYUM - I love a good burger!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great tip! Those burgers look aweseome. Good luck on the contest. You've got my vote!
ReplyDeleteGREAT tip, I love to save a dish from being washed!
ReplyDeleteSounds like one fabulous, fabulous BURGER!!!!!
Burgers are always good in my book! Great looking burger, Mary, even if it does have liquid smoke in it ;)
ReplyDeleteCowboy burgers look fabulous! :)
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, 'Yeeeha!'
ReplyDeleteI really think I could enjoy one of those. It looks and sounds delicious. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteThese burgers were wonderful. They were perfect for our Mother's Day! I really liked the thick slices of the tomatoes and onion. Your potato salad and baked beans recipe rounded out the meal perfectly. A great dish to kick off grilling season and what's sure to be another hot grueling summer around here, ugh!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
You are so welcome Mellie & thanks for taking the time to come back to report your results. It's really helpful to our other readers and I really do appreciate it!! That sounds like a meal I could go for right now. I was just thinking how hot it's going to be this summer. It's feeling really humid outside today & my central air unit is old & needs updating, so while most of the time I use my fans to circulate air in the house during the day, today I have both the fans AND the A/C rolling, already!
DeleteYou are welcome too! I Tivo'd you on QVC because I knew I wouldn't be home when it aired and I thought you did an amazing job. That cheesy sausage bread looked amazing staring back at me on my TV! I have it pinned but I just haven't gotten to it yet. There's so many good recipes here it's hard to pick one sometimes. Yeah, our weather has been crazy here, one day it's sunshine and a cool breeze the next day we are under tornado watches.
DeleteThank you for your kind words :)
:) You're a sweetheart! I've finished with QVC for this book. We'll see if there's a number 2 in the future!
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