BBQ Cheddar Burger Patty

The BBQ Cheddar Burger Patty is filled with finely shredded cheddar cheese, smokey BBQ sauce, savory seasonings, and sweet griddled onions. The blend of ground beef and pork makes it so tender and rich that you'll want two!

Hey there, cheese Lovers. This one's for you. In addition to the slice of cheese that will obviously go on top of the patty, the beef and pork mixture incorporates shredded cheddar into the patty to maximize the cheesiness!

This BBQ Cheddar Burger Patty is bursting with flavor. This is all thanks to the tangy barbeque sauce, intense ranch seasoning powder, freshly shredded cheddar, and perfectly griddled onions. The recipe combines ground beef with juicy ground pork to keep it super tender. So go ahead and indulge in this delicious burger!

Read on for all the loving details for making BBQ Cheddar Burgers.

Tools for the job

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Parchment or wax paper
• Scale or trigger-style ice cream scooper (optional)
• Burger press (optional)
• Small nonstick skillet
• Spatula or wooden spoon

How to make BBQ Cheddar Burgers

Griddling the onions

• Warm a small nonstick skillet over high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, the finely diced onion, and a pinch of salt. After a minute or two, stir the onions and lower the heat to medium-high.
• Continue to cook and stir until dark color forms at the edges. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan and stir until it evaporates. The onions should be ready in 5-7 minutes. Spread them out on a plate to cool while you gather your other ingredients.

Combining the ground meat and seasonings

To ensure a juicy burger patty, handle the ground meats as little as possible and keep them cold. Don't remove the meat from the fridge until right before you're going to use it, and return it to the fridge at any point when you're not directly using it. This keeps the fat in the ground beef and pork cold, so it doesn't melt away too quickly when you cook the patty. The technique:

• In a large bowl, carefully pinch and break pieces of both beef and pork into the bowl. Then, sprinkle the ranch powder over all the meat. Next, scatter the cheese and pour the barbeque sauce all over. (Instead of dumping all the ingredients in one spot before combining.)
• Mix everything by gently tossing the ingredients together until it's all coated, then squish and kneed a couple of times until it's all combined.

Weighing the BBQ cheddar Burger Patty

When the burger patties are all the same size, they will all cook evenly and for the same amount of time. Here are a few options to achieve a well measured burger patty:

1. Use a scale. This is the most accurate way to ensure consistently sized patties. Weigh out 4-ounce portions for a quarter-pound burger and 5.5-ounce portions for a third-pound burger
2. Use a trigger-style ice cream scooper. When I tested this option, I started with a 2-ounce scooper, doing two scoops for each patty to get a 4-ounce patty. I weighed them afterward, and they were all about 4.5 ounces. So, the scoop will get you even patties, but not necessarily correctly weighed patties.
3. Use a rolling pin. Place the meat on a cutting board and roll it flat. Then, use your hands to form the meat into a rectangle. Next, use a knife to split it into even-sized portions. Eight portions will give you quarter-pound patties.

Form the patties

Once you've measured out each portion of burger mix, here are a few options to form the patty. Be sure to keep the patties separate on a plate or stack them with parchment paper between each patty. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

1. Use a burger press to make perfectly even burger patties.
2. Roll the portion into a ball, then flatten it to your desired thickness. Press a thumbprint into the top of the patty, pushing about halfway down. This will help the patty stay an even size when being cooked.

Time to cook them!

• Cook these BBQ Cheddar Burger Patties on a grill, in a skillet, or on the griddle.
• They have plenty of fat in them, so no need for oil in the pan.
• If you cook it on the grill, cook it longer on the first side. The patty is very tender and can break if you turn it too soon.

Substitutions and Variations for BBQ Cheddar Burgers

• For a much richer flavor, substitute unseasoned ground pork sausage for the ground pork.
• Instead of griddled onions, use crispy fried onions, like French's. Crush them up before adding them to the mixture.
• Swap the cheddar for another semi-hard cheese like smokey Gouda, Provolone, or Swiss.

Leftover BBQ Cheddar Burgers

• Refrigerate leftover burger patties for up to 2 days if they're raw and 5 days if they're cooked. Reheat leftover patties on the stove in a skillet on medium-low heat until warmed through.
• Freeze leftover burger patties on a sheet pan, then transfer them to a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.

Food Safety

• Cook burger patties to a minimum temperature of 155 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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