Bacon-Beef Burger

This 50/50 burger is 50% beef and 50% bacon, inspired by Scott Slater's legendary patty. Because salting your beef mixture during the mixing stage causes proteins to coagulate prematurely, most recipes call for only salting the patty surface right before cooking in order to avoid producing rubbery burgers. Although fine in theory, this superficial layer of seasoning can produce a patty that tastes bland, flat, and too beefy. 

The 50/50 burger doesn't have this problem: 50% of the patty mix is already smoked, cured, and perfectly seasoned. Minced by hand, the plump dice of fatty, salty pork melts into the patty as it sears away on a hot cast iron skillet, drawing out the natural sweetness of both meats while checking the gaminess of lean beef.

One tip: avoid mashing the patty mixture too much to keep it slightly aerated. This ensures that your burger maintains a tender structure—watch the video to see the patty-forming technique! 

With such a flavorful patty in hand, simple toppings do the trick: crunchy, refreshing iceberg lettuce in place of bready buns, a dollop of homemade special sauce with all my favorite condiments, and a few thin slices of naturally sweet and spicy yellow onions.

If you're still hungry, check out our super easy summer dinner ideas!