BACON JAM. Crunchy, spicy, sweet, savory. Literally the definition of finger lickin’ good. Maybe I’ll start selling this by the jar one day…

I loved pairing this burger with melty white cheeses like monterey jack and fontina. Provolone would also be a great option here. Use whatever you have or what’s available to you!

for the burgers:
1 lb ground beef
Hamburger seasoning (we Love Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute!)
Hamburger buns
Mayo
Monterey jack cheese
Fontina cheese
Fresh spinach
Sliced tomato

for the bacon jam:
10 slices of bacon
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Splash apple cider vinegar
Texas Pete, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Cook bacon in skillet over medium/medium-high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and roughly chop on cutting board.
2.  In the skillet of bacon grease, add shallot and garlic. Cook until lightly browned.
3. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, ACV, Texas Pete, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper. Whisk until combined.
4.  Remove from heat and into a heat-safe bowl. Taste test and add more/less of salty/sweet ingredients depending how you like it! Set aside until ready to use, otherwise store in fridge if not using that day. Put it on EVERYTHING.

I didn’t bother to write out step by step instructions for the burgers because I kinda figured it’s self explanatory? But just in case…

Step one, season & grill burgers. Step two, add cheese to cooked burgers until melted. Step three, toast buns with mayo directly on grill (YES. DO IT). Step four, pile on all the things. BOOM! Burgers!