The Best Juicy Burger Recipe

Why is this flavorful, juicy burger recipe THE BEST? Well, for starters, it won me the $25,000 Grand Prize in a national cook-off. The southwestern seasoned patties are topped with a honey-orange glazed bacon, almond avocado pesto, pepper jack cheese, and the unique addition of Chili Cheese Fritos....appealing to every single one of your taste buds!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Servings burgers

Calories 666 kcal

5 from 1 vote

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Equipment

1 blender
1 Wire rack
Grill or grill pan
1 pastry brush

Ingredients

Almond Avocado Pesto

2 cups basil leaves (loosely packed)
3 oz Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 tablespoon olive oil
2 large avocados (halved and pitted)
3 tablespoon lemon juice

Sweet and Spicy Bacon

1½ cups orange juice
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 strips applewood smoked bacon (see Notes)

Burger Patties

2 lb 75% or 80% lean ground chuck or beef blend (see Notes)
4 scallions (finely chopped)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
2 teaspoon hot sauce (see Notes)
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Assembly

6 brioche buns (split)
6 slices pepper-Jack cheese
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups mixed greens
2 cups Fritos Chili Cheese flavored corn chips

Instructions

Almond Avocado Pesto

Place the basil and almonds in a blender and pulse until very finely chopped. Add the garlic, olive oil, avocado and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until almost smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as necessary. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl, cover and set aside.

Sweet and Spicy Bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Combine the orange juice, honey, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to about ½ cup and has a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.
Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray. Place the strips of bacon on the rack and set the rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Place the bacon in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and brush it with half of the orange glaze.
Return the bacon to the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully flip the bacon slices using tongs or a fork. Brush the remaining orange glaze over the slices of bacon and then return the baking sheet to the oven for 8 minutes or until the bacon is caramelized and crisp. Wrap the bacon in foil sprayed with nonstick spray to keep warm.

Burger Patties

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, scallions, cilantro, paprika, cumin, salt, hot sauce, and vinegar. Mix with your hands until the ingredients are well incorporated. Form the mixture into 6 equally sized patties.
Heat a grill, grill pan, griddle or skillet to medium high heat and spray the surface with nonstick spray. Cook the patties for 3 minutes on once side. Carefully flip the patties and top each with one slice of cheese. Continue to cook the patties until the cheese has melted ad they have reached your desired degree of doneness, 3-5 minutes more.
Remove the patties and place the buns on the grill or griddle, cut sides down, to toast lightly. This should only take a minute or two!!

Assemble the Burgers

In a small bowl, toss the mixed greens with the olive oil and vinegar. Divide the dressed greens among the bottom halves of the buns. Top the greens with a patty and a slice of the bacon (broken in half to fit the size of the patty.) Place the Fritos on top of the bacon. Spread the top halves of the buns with a generous portion of the Almond Avocado Pesto and place on top of the Fritos, pressing to adhere. Serve immediately!!

Video

Notes

I love to use Nueske's bacon in recipes whenever I can, as it is the best that I've found. That said, in most cases you have to order it, and sometimes I run out. Just look for a high quality applewood or cherrywood smoked bacon for this recipe.
I used a 75/25 beef blend when I created this recipe, but if your butcher counter doesn't carry that, 80/20 is more readily available and works great!
For hot sauce, I tend to use Cholula or Tapatio, as that is what I have on hand. Use any other variety or omit it altogether if you're not a fan.
Make-ahead: The patties can be mixed and shaped one day in advance and covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. The almond avocado pesto will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, covered, and actually makes a great dip for tortilla chips!

Nutrition

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