Bacon + Ranch Cheeseburgers

I’m keeping the birthday traditions alive, and centering my birthday meal around my most favorite thing ever - cheeseburgers. Homemade cheeseburgers in the comfort of my own home so I can have full control of the sauce, the toppings, the meat, and just curate the birthday burger of my dreams. & it’s been a birthday week of burgers! Which I truly could not be more thankful for. My birthday eve was centered around going to the local burger shack by our house & diving in to a pre-birthday treat of greasy, cheap burgers along with fries, onion rings, a shared corn-dog + a share shake…..because holding back on your birthday is the real crime! & for my homemade burger variation, we’re going a little more gourmet - artisan cheese, brioche buns, aioli, & all. These Bacon + Ranch Cheeseburgers we’re EVERYTHING. & I’m walking away with a new ranch aioli recipe that I’m keeping in my back pocket for backyard burgers all through the summer.

 
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Now ranch burgers - a pretty different style of cheeseburger than what has previously been whipped up in our house, but birthday burgers are meant for expanding horizons, right? Ranch has been a hot ticket item at our house these days. Specifically using the Hidden Valley Ranch powder, which after sitting in our pantry for about year I’ve just discovered. & it is quite the magical seasoning. We’ve been putting that shizz all over freshly popped popcorn nightly + making our own homemade ranch sauce for pickle pizza on the reg with this stuff. So ranch is hot at the Zehner house right now, and I wanted to get a little bit of that tangy, creamy ranch flavor infused into a burger, and do so in a real good homemade way. So I took this ranch powder out of the equation, diverted my attention towards a plethora of fresh herbs + organic mayo, and added in my secret weapon - roasted garlic.

This garlic ranch aioli was the real shining star of this dinner. Yes - there was bacon, and yes - there is load of melted sharp cheddar, both very mouthwatering, but this ranch sauce! Just dreamy! I was dipping potato chips in it! I love a slather of mayo on a burger. That creamy goodness mixed with some tangy ketchup & the burger itself - it’s a MUST for me. This aioli is just the best type of mayo you could put on a burger. A whole head of garlic, roasted so the cloves are just tender and buttery, and then blended with the mayo. If yo'u’ve never had a roasted garlic clove, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re tender & savory & really good, and sooooo buttery. The garlic just kind of melts in the mayo, so that roasty, garlicky flavor delicately permeates every bit of the sauce.

The herbs - that’s where the Ranch flavor really hits. Lots of fresh dill + chives + parsley added into the food processor with the mayo and the garlic just creates the most perfect garlicky ranch flavor. The bright green herbs are speckled throughout the entire sauce, adding a little freshness to the sauce. & it just looks so appetizing. Hefty slathers of this stuff on both sides of the bun are highly encouraged.

The other key to nailing these burgers is just not cheaping out on your ingredients. Grassfed beef + thick slices of bacon + fluffy brioche buns + a good cheese - that’s a pretty good foundation for just about anything (aioli or not!). I mean this aioli could make a cheap burger from McDonalds taste delish, but add in some nicer ingredients and you’re set for a gourmet burger at home. You pretty much can’t go wrong when everything in your pantry is premium, and that’s the case for any at-home meal.

 
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The 3 things to remember to nail these burgs:

  1. Smash those burger patties! Instead of thick, robust burger patties, we smashed the shit of them. Thin & diner style was perfect! The key to a good smash burger - think dinner plate not donut. Smash them to the size of small dinner plates instead donuts. They’ll cook perfectly and be big enough for the bun.

  2. Embrace the make ahead pieces. You can easily make the aioli + grilled onions ahead of time, just reheating the onion before you serve them. So if you’re trying to avoid the dinner time scramble (which I do!), than take a few spare moments in the afternoon to knock out these 2 items. I mean you can even cook the bacon ahead of time, too, if you really wanted.

  3. Keep the sides easy. Put your attention into burger making & aioli prep. Serving with your fave potato chip for a salty bite + some fresh summer fruit for a little balance was perfect.

31 & all I wanted was a birthday dinner at home. Champagne + burgers + a cake a la Lesley. To me, it’s the perfect birthday meal, and prepping for it was the perfect birthday day. All I wanted was to enjoy it all here at home. Just Jordan & me doing birthday date-night in, and it was perfect. Me menu planning + him bouncing from helping out (lord knows he’s the best man for the job when it comes to patty prep) to sitting in his kitchen perch, just keeping me company along the way. It’s this vibe that sets the scene for some of my favorite moments together in our kitchen, and all I wanted were more of these dreamy moments with my guy, just us two, for 31. The over the top piece was Leon Bridges playing in the background while we ate + Facetiming with some of our besties to close out the evening. The whole day was all I needed to feel appreciative for everything I’ve got going on right now, and kick-start 31 on the most positive note. The AMAZING gift of our boys was the true icing on the cake.

 
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For the aioli

  • 1 head of garlic

  • 1/2-3/4 c. mayo

  • 2 tbsp each of parsley, dill, & chives

  • Salt + pepper

For the burgers

  • 1 lb. bacon

  • 3 tbsp of butter, softened (plus a little extra for toasting the buns)

  • 1 white onion, halved & thinly sliced

  • EVOO

  • 1 lb. grassfed ground beef

  • Brioche buns

  • Sharp white cheddar, cut into slices (enough to cover the tops of all burger patties

  • Butter or romaine lettuce

For the aioli - Cut the top off of the garlic + place in a ramekin. Drizzle generously with olive oil (about a tablespoon), and place in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Remove when the cloves are a deep golden brown, letting the dish cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the cloves, and place in a food processor along wit the mayo, herbs, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until the herbs are finely chopped and you have creamy consistency with bright green specks. Place in a bowl and set aside in the fridge.

Start with making the bacon. Preheat the oven to 375 and place the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 20-35 minutes- until the bacon is browned, crispy, but not burnt. Check at 20 minutes, and then again every 5 minutes until it’s cooked to your preferred done-ness (I go for brown, crispy, and no flop). Remove and set on a paper towel lined plate;

As the bacon cooks, place a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the butter. Once melted, add in the onions, cooking on medium high for 8-10 minutes and stirring every 2 minutes or so. Reduce the heat if the onions start to burn. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let cook an additional 20 minutes or so. You can keep the onions over low until you’re ready to eat plate up the burgs.

For the burgers - Separate the meat into 4 equal pieces, forming each into a patty. Place the patties on a plastic cutting board about 3 inches apart, cover with plastic wrap, & smash. Literally just smash them down with a baking sheet, putting all your weight into flattening the patties. Season both sides of the patty with salt + pepper. Place a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high heat, and get it smokin! Once hot, drizzle with a bit of EVOO. Place the patties on the griddle, cooking 2 minutes on each side. When you flip the patties, spread a bit of butter on each brioche bun & place them butter side down on the skillet to toast up. Remove the buns + patties from the skillet once they’ve been cooked.

To plate - slather each side of the bun with a layer of the ranch aioli. Place the burger patty right on top, then a strip of bacon (cut in half), a dollop of grilled onions, and some lettuce. Top with the other side of the bun, and make things easy (like us) and eat with potato chips and fresh fruit.

Lesley Zehner