Become an at-home Burger Baron with this recipe for a bacon burger with red onion jam and roasted garlic herb mayo, courtesy of Barry C. Parsons. Parsons lives in St. John’s NL and is a full-time food blogger at RockRecipes.com which he has been writing since 2007. His blog has over half a million followers on social media platforms, getting up to 35,000 page hits a day. He has written two highly successful cookbooks published by Breakwater Books and also works as a freelance writer and recipe developer with several national brands.

Bacon Burger with Red Onion Jam
and Roasted Garlic Herb Mayo
Crispy bacon is incorporated into the ground beef before grilling, then accompanied with two equally delicious homemade condiments in what may be the most flavorful burger you’ll ever make.

Makes 4 burgers

For the Red Onion Jam
• 3 tbsp butter
• 6 large finely diced red onions
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup apple juice
• ½ tsp dry thyme

For the burger patties:

• 1¼ pounds medium to lean ground beef
• 8 slices thick cut smoked bacon

For the Roasted Garlic Mayo
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ small head of roasted garlic (about 6 cloves)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (use any you like, I used a little rosemary, chives and oregano because that is what I had on hand.)
• pinch salt and pepper

You will also need
• 4-6 ounces marble cheddar cheese, sliced
• crisp lettuce leaves
• sliced tomatoes
• 4 toasted burger buns

To prepare the Red Onion Jam

• Add the butter, red onion and minced garlic to a medium sized pot.
• Cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes until the onions have reduced considerably and caramelized.
• Add the pepper, salt, honey, apple cider vinegar, apple juice and thyme.
• Simmer very slowly and reduce this mixture for another 20 minutes or more, until it reaches a jam-like consistency. Pay close attention to the jam, stirring often until practically all of the liquid boils off.
• Serve warm or reheat a little at a tie in the microwave for a few seconds as needed.
• This jam will last for several days in sealed container/s in the fridge or for much longer if you choose to make a large batch and follow proper canning/bottling procedures.

To prepare the burger patties

• Cut the bacon slices into a fine dice and cook until most of the pfat has been rendered out and the bacon begins to crisp.
• Drain off the fat and cool the cooked bacon bits to room temperature.
• When cool, mix the bacon bits with the ground beef and form into 4 patties about 4½ inches wide.
• You can leave the patties in the fridge overnight if you like but it’s good to make them at least a couple of hours beforehand, to let the flavor of the bacon permeate the meat.

To prepare the Roasted Garlic and Herb Mayo

• Simply pulse all of the ingredients together in a blender until the roasted garlic has been fully incorporated and the mayo is smooth.

To make the burgers

• Grill the burger patties until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side. Add the sliced cheese when you flip the burgers so that it has time to melt.
• Add the red onion jam to the bottom half of the bun before adding the burger pattie. Top with lettuce and tomato. Spread the mayo on the top bun and serve.