We've all seen the commercials, but you know when you unwrap that bacon bourbon cheeseburger you're just going to be disappointed. Skip the drive-thru and make your own!
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If you know us, you know neither one of us have ever been really into fast food. But every once in a while, I see a commerical that makes me go "ooooh!" The Wendy's Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger commercial was like that.
I went to Wendy's a few days later and proudly ordered it. The ingredients sound fantastic. Bourbon barbecue sauce, crispy onions, bacon, cheese... how could it go wrong?
Well, I received my burger, unwrapped it, took a bite, and it was... fine. I'm not going to rag on Wendy's. It wasn't bad! It was fine. But surely we can do better than fine.
That's why we decided to do this remake. It isn't really all that different from the original- a sweet and smoky bourbon BBQ sauce, a grilled burger, crispy onions, bacon and cheese on a brioche bun.
How can I make it even better?
On its own, there's not much healthy about this burger and you're not going to do much to change that. You can absolutely add lettuce and tomatoes, though!
We opted to use real cheddar cheese here instead of "that other stuff" but you could also fancy it up by using other types of cheese. I think a good pepper jack would be amazing on this!
I also didn't provide any instruction below for how to cook the burger because that is so much a matter of taste. We like our burgers simple with just a little Worcestershire sauce mixed in with the meat, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked to medium over charcoal. You can make your burger however you prefer!
How do I make bourbon barbecue sauce?
We love this sauce because it has a hint of a bourbon flavor and isn't too sweet like other barbecue sauces. On a smoked Boston butt we prefer a Georgia Mustard BBQ Sauce, but for a burger it's bourbon BBQ all the way!
The image below has all the ingredients you need to whip up this sauce... Just ketchup, dijon, bourbon, worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, and a dash of liquid smoke and the flavors come together beautifully.
Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring occasionally. Then lower it to a simmer and let the mixture reduce for 10-15 minutes. You've now got yourself an amazing bourbon barbecue sauce!
If you love cooking with bourbon like we do, we've got a whole collection of recipes that use bourbon. There's Honey Bourbon Chicken, Banana Bread Bundt Cake, Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce, Maple Bourbon Glaze and so much more to choose from. And of course, don't forget to serve these recipes with a cocktail!
How long will homemade barbecue sauce keep?
You can store this sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container.
📖 Recipe
Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger
Ingredients
Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger
- 4 brioche hamburger buns
- 4 hamburger patties cooked as desired
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crispy fried onions
- 8 slices bacon cooked
- ¼ cup bourbon barbecue sauce
Instructions
Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until well combined.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to low. Simmer 10-15 minutes, or until mixture reduces slightly.
Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger
- Divide the 4 burger patties between 4 brioche buns. Add a slice of cheddar cheese to each burger.
- Top each burger with a tablespoon of crispy fried onions and 2 slices of bacon. Add 1 tablespoon of bourbon barbecue sauce on each one before adding the top bun.
Notes
More recipes for the cookout
dina and bruce miller says
Wow! Just Wow! The crispy fried onions and the bourbon bbq sauce was so good!
Pam says
Thanks so much for letting us know!
Quynh says
YUM! I made this for dinner tonight and it was so tasty! The homemade bourbon sauce really took it to the next level!
Pam says
That sauce is good, isn't it? Thanks!
Janie says
Now this is what's going down for lunch tomorrow. My son loves bbq sauces so this bourbon bacon cheeseburger is going to be grubbed down.
Alisha says
Okay that was way too good!!
Dannii says
This cheeseburger was epic and the sauce was just perfection.