Bourbon Burgers originally appeared on my blog back in May 2013. They’re so good I decided to republish the recipe with better photos.
If you are at all familiar with my recipes and blog you know I am a bourbon fan. I live just a few miles north of the Kentucky boarder and so I’ve really learned to appreciate bourbon over the years. It’s my cocktail of choice (I like a Kentucky Mule – bourbon and ginger beer) and I enjoy cooking with it too.
So when I found this recipe for Bourbon Burgers several years ago I knew my husband and I would both enjoy it. It apparently ruined me for all other burgers for quite a while because burger recipes are woefully lacking on my blog. But I plan to start trying to remedy that this summer.
These burgers are simple in their toppings. The star being the onions, caramelized in butter, sugar and bourbon. Add a little fresh lettuce and melted provolone cheese and they are good to go. So gorgeous to look at too. Am I making you hungry?
Tips for making Bourbon Burgers:
- Find the best burger buns that you can. I usually scour the bakery section of my grocery store and found these amazing looking pretzel buns that are pictured
- For grilled burgers a higher fat content in your ground beef is preferable so that your burgers stay juicy. I recommend beef that is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat for grilling
- As in cooking with wine, cook with a bourbon that you also enjoy drinking. Don’t use the super high-end stuff but don’t the super-cheap stuff either. I like Jim Beam white label and Bulleit bourbon for cooking
Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of Foodtastic Mom. Be sure to PIN and print this recipe!
Bourbon Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef 80/20 - fat ratio
- 3 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 1 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 6 slices smoked Provolone cheese
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 2 sweet onions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Add the 1/4 cup bourbon, onions, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and lightly browned, at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the ground beef to a large bowl with the 3 tablespoons bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Lightly mix with your hands and form into six patties.
- Heat grill and scrape the grates clean. Cook the burgers, searing on the higher heat side and flipping to finish cooking on the lower heat side. Cook the burgers until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F for medium rare or 160 degrees F for medium.
- Add a slice of the Provolone cheese to the top of each burger in the last minute of cooking to melt.
- Serve the burgers topped with the caramelized onions and fresh leaf lettuce.
Nutrition
Don’t miss my other bourbon recipes:
- Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Butter Cake
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Bourbon Glaze
- Bourbon Bacon Pumpkin Seeds
Kecia says
This looks amazing!!!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks for the comment! I hope you try them 🙂
Amanda says
It’s lunch time and I’m starving. Can I get one to go? This recipe looks sooooooo good. I love the onions and the roll.
foodtasticmom says
They are drool-worthy for sure 🙂 Thank you!
Jagruti says
I’ve never heard of this burger, looks amazing.
foodtasticmom says
They are very tasty
maria clsoeothome says
my husband and I are big bourbon fans. I will have to try this.
foodtasticmom says
I hope you do! Come back and let me know how you liked them 🙂
Emily says
Wow I love a great burger and this one looks fantastic!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Emily
Tara says
Yum! Burgers are always difficult for me to photograph. Yours look incredible! So perfect for summer.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Tara. I appreciate the compliment!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
I want those caramelized onions!
foodtasticmom says
They are really the best 🙂
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
These sound so, so good! I’m glad to see the recipe updated, otherwise I may never have stumbled across it.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much! It really did deserve the update 🙂
Celeste says
Wow, this is a burger to top all burgers!
foodtasticmom says
I think so too! Thanks 🙂
Tania Sheff says
Looks like a perfect burger to me! YUMMY!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Tania
Traci says
Whoah! You had me at bourbon…and then you combined it with my weakness food. I srsly need to make this recipe. I’ll be bookmarking and sharing for sure! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
foodtasticmom says
You are welcome. Check back after you’ve tried it!
foodtasticmom says
My favorite burger to make at home!
Emily | OatandSesame.com says
My hubby would love this burger. Larceny bourbon is our go to for moderately priced and highly drinkable. We love to top burger with caramelized onions – yum! I wonder if I could do this with a turkey burger?
foodtasticmom says
I think a turkey burger would work well too! I’ll have to add Larceny to my list to try 🙂
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
Onions slow cooked in bourbon? What a yummy idea. This looks like a great way to spice up the every day boring burgers I make each week.
foodtasticmom says
I agree. Come back and let us know if you try them!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
OMG…bring on the grilling weather. I love cooking/baking with bourbon. Hubby is going to LOVE these for sure.
foodtasticmom says
I know right? I think I updated this recipe today specifically because I am longing for grilling season and winter to be over!
Ann says
This is going on my summer grilling list! The Kentucky Mule you mentioned really piqued my interest too. I’ll have to try that on my husband. Bourbon is his liquor of choice too and I bet it would be great with these burgers 🙂
foodtasticmom says
Oh definitely the Kentucky Mule is a must make!
Roxana says
The burger is making me hungry, and I just had dinner. I don’t used bourbon. I wonder what I could substitute for that?
foodtasticmom says
The bourbon is just there to provide bourbon flavor. You can make these without it and they’d still be delicious. You could add a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to the meat before forming the burgers and grilling.
Hannah says
These burgers look sooo good and the images are really inviting, makes me wanna make them in the middle of the night! 😀 I love the bourbon touch, it makes them tender and moist. 🙂
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Hannah!
Emily says
I totally just pinned these bourbon burgers. I can’t wait to try them on our grill!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Emily for the pin 🙂
Debbye says
I’ve never even considered putting bourbon in a burger. I don’t eat meat but my husband would love these. Passing on the recipe to him asap.
foodtasticmom says
Great, I hope he likes them, thank you!
Katherine says
We made these for a Derby Day Sunday Supper in 2016 – they are amazing and we never make regular burgers anymore! I was just looking up the recipe for a friend and noticed that the recipe isn’t exactly like the one I printed in 2016. Your original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of bourbon reduced by half to add to the ground meat instead of 3T of bourbon and white cheddar cheese instead of provolone, along with a few other minor changes in spice measurements. I tend to be a cook that doesn’t read every line of the recipe instructions, so I do appreciate that the original recipe had separate ingredient lists for the burgers and the onions. Bottom line – make the burgers, they’re delicious! (but I think I’ll stick to my 2016 copy of the recipe – why mess with perfection?)
foodtasticmom says
In re-photographing the recipe I decided to make some changes. Since the bourbon is cooked while the meat is cooking I decided to streamline that step and I think the spices I probably changed up to make the recipe a little more my own. But I’m so happy you enjoy these – whichever version is your favorite 🙂 It’s all about personal preference and I usually assume that as people are making any of my recipes that some changes are made along the way in their own kitchens. Thanks so much for the comment!
Jeannine Meador says
I have recently discovered the joys of adding bourbon to various foods…such as bourbon bacon butter…to die for. Now I can’t wait to try these burgers…dinner tonight for sure. Thanks for sharing so much with all of us.
foodtasticmom says
You’re very welcome! 🙂