Maple Bacon Smash Burger

Maple Bacon Smash Burger

This past weekend I was supposed to cook at the Phelps Maple Syrup Festival in Phelps, Wisconsin. Phelps, Wisconsin is one of the Northernmost Wisconsin towns. This Maple Bacon Smash Burger was on the menu. I live part time in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Just 8 miles over the Northern Wisconsin border and one of the things we are know for is snow. Unfortunately, we got slammed with a snow storm the night before the Maple Syrup Fest, so this beautiful burger was not served to the Maple Syrup Fans at the fest, as I was not able to dig out in time.

Instead, I made this delicious burger for myself, my friend and a neighbor and they were absolutely delicious. Make this Maple Bacon Smash Burger with maple caramelized onions, maple glazed bacon and your basic salt, pepper, garlic powder and love. Roll the meat mixture into a ball, then smash with a spatula once you get it on the griddle. They are easy to make and also delicious.

Full, Printable Recipe

The full, printable recipe is below. If you have questions after reading the recipe, please read beyond that as I try to answer any and all questions in every blog post.

Yield: 4 burgers

Maple Bacon Smash Burger

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The perfect griddled burger with caramelized onion, crispy edges on the beef patties, bacon and a melty white provolone. This burger is crave worthy and pretty simple to make.

Ingredients

• For The Burger
• 1.5 lbs of ground beef
• 1/2 cup caramelize onions (recipe below)
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Onion Powder
• Provolone Cheese
• Maple Bacon Slices (recipe below)
• Yellow Mustard
• 4 Hard Rolls
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• For The Bacon and The Onions You Will Need:
• 1lb of bacon
• 2 to 3 medium sized yellow onions
• Approximately 1/3 cup of Wisconsin Maple Syrup
• Black Pepper
• Chili Powder

Instructions

1. Combine the ground beef, caramelized onions, and seasonings until combined, don’t over mix.
2. Form 4 round balls with the meat mixture. Let them rest for about 15 minutes on the counter.
3. Heat your griddle and place the balls and smash down flat with a spatula. Griddle until the edges are crispy. Turning twice. Brush the tops of the burgers with a little yellow mustard and flip once more and finish cooking.
4. Top with the cheese and bacon, the rest of the onions until the cheese melts. Serve on a buttered, griddled bun with a tiny bit of spicy mustard.

To Make The Bacon

1. Spread your 1 lb package of bacon on a baking sheet with a wire cooling rack. Place in a cold oven and turn on your over to 350°, this is to prevent splatter. 
2. In a bowl combine, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, a sprinkle of chili powder and black pepper. 
3. Baste the bacon while it bakes with the maple syrup mixture, when the bacon is fully cooked, removed from oven and let cool. 

To Make The Onions

1. Dice 2 to 3 medium sized yellow onions into a fine dice. 
2. Add to a skillet with butter; cook low and slow add a splash of maple syrup, sprinkle of black pepper and cook until the onions are caramelized. 

Cooking With Maple Syrup

The maple syrup helps add a rich flavor, deep color and caramelization to this recipe. I love using maple syrup to caramelize the onions. In the recipe is how I glaze the bacon. If you want to make this easier on yourself, you can cook the bacon separately, dice it up and add it to the onion mixture to put on top of the burgers as well as when you add the onions to the ground beef.

One More Time

I added my remaining caramelized onions to the skillet and let them get a little more golden before I topped my smash burgers with them. I love the crispy bits of onion and bacon.

Smash Burgers Are Better

I am not personally a fan of those thick, mile high burgers. Give me a smash burger any day with its crispy golden edges and so much surface area of flavor. I like to only add the caramelized onions to the meat mixture so that as much surface area as possible touches the griddle. This makes the best cooked burger.

Mini Mac and Cheese

A great side dish to serve with this burger is this decadent Mini Mac and Cheese. It goes perfectly with the decadent burger. You can find the recipe for the Mini Mac and Cheese by CLICKING HERE.