If you’re a burger lover, or are looking for the ultimate St Patrick’s Day dinner, you’re going to love this Guinness Bacon Burger with Mushrooms and Irish Cheddar. It all starts with a juicy, perfectly seasoned beef patty that is grilled to perfection. Topped with melty Irish cheddar, sautéed mushrooms, bacon and the most delicious Guinness Barbecue Sauce, this burger is bursting with bold mouthwatering flavours.
Whether you’re firing up the grill for St Paddy’s, game day or a backyard get together, this indulgent burger is the ultimate in comfort food.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This Irish inspired burger makes the perfect St Patrick’s day dinner. Combine it with some sort of potato side dish, such as French fries, chips or Golden and Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and a green salad for festive meal.
DRINK PAIRINGS
A pint of Guinness stout is the natural match for this burger with Guinness Barbecue Sauce. If you prefer something lighter, a Whiskey Sour works well and cuts through the richness of this burger.
What goes in Guinness Bacon Burgers with Irish Cheddar and Mushrooms?
- Ground Beef: Use medium ground beef for the juiciest, most flavourful burgers. Save the lean ground beef for another recipe as it will result in dry burgers.
- Steak Spice: The list of ingredients in these burgers is short: ground beef, Guinness BBQ sauce and steak spice. The steak spice adds salt, pepper and other herbs and spices that give the burgers seasoning and kick.
- Grapeseed Oil:. Choose an oil that is neutral in taste and has a high smoke point, such as grapeseed oil. Canola oil is another good choice.
- Red Onion and Mushrooms: Caramelized onion and golden mushrooms make a delicious topping for this burger.
- Kosher Salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt in my recipes, which is less salty per volume than Windsor or Morton’s Kosher salts. If you use a brand other than Diamond Crystal, use about half the amount of salt that the recipe calls for, and adjust salt to taste before serving.
- Burger Buns: Fresh, soft buns hold it all together! I recommend brioche buns, or potato buns, for best results.
- Lettuce: This indulgent burger needs a little greenery. Tender butter lettuce or baby spinach are good choices.
- Irish Cheddar: Cut rich Irish cheddar into thick slices and layer it on the hot burgers to form a gooey, melty layer of cheese.
- Cooked bacon: Look for thick-cut bacon for these burgers. Cook it ahead of time to make your burger preparation simpler.
- Guiness Barbecue Sauce: This Homemade Guinness Barbecue Sauce is the finishing touch on this Irish inspired burger. Simple to make in just 10 minutes, this sauce combines the robust flavours of Guinness beer with the sweet, tangy and smokey flavours of traditional barbecue sauce. It’s even better after the flavours have mixed and mingled for a day or two in the fridge, so it’s a great make-ahead condiment to keep on hand. Find the recipe for Homemade Guinness Barbecue Sauce here
Guinness Bacon Burgers with Mushrooms and Irish Cheddar
A juicy beef burger is grilled to perfection and topped with bacon, golden mushrooms, melty Irish cheddar and a delectable homemade Guinness Barbecue Sauce.
Ingredients
Burgers
- 908gr/2lbs medium ground beef
- 1/4 cup Guinness Barbecue Sauce (see link to recipe above)
- 2 tsp steak spice
- grapeseed oil for brushing burger patties (or other neutral tasting, high heat oil)
Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral tasting, high heat oil)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 227gr/8oz mushrooms, sliced
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Burger assembly
- 6 burger buns (brioche or potato buns recommended)
- 6 butter lettuce leaves
- 170gr/6oz Irish cheddar, sliced
- 12 slices cooked bacon
- Guiness Barbecue Sauce (See link to recipe above)
Instructions
To make the burger patties
- Find a baking sheet or large tray that will fit in your fridge, then line it with wax paper and set aside. Add the ground beef, Guinness barbecue sauce and steak spice to a large bowl and mix with your hands until just combined. Divide the meat mixture into 6 equal portions and gently form each portion into a patty that is about 5" wide and 1/2" thick. Lay the patties on the wax paper lined baking sheet and cover. Transfer the patties to the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the barbecue to medium-hot.
To make the sautéed mushrooms and onions
- While the burger patties chill and the barbecue pre-heats, sauté the onions and mushrooms: In a large skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet and season with an additional 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook the mushrooms with the onions, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are cooked and onions are silky soft, about another 3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Grill the burgers
- Remove the burger patties from the fridge and brush both sides with a light coating of grapeseed oil to help prevent sticking. Grill until cooked through, 3-4 minutes on each side. During the last minute of grilling, add cheddar slices to the top of each patty. Close the lid and let the cheese melt. Remove to a clean plate.
Assemble the burgers
- Put the burgers on the buns, add the lettuce, some of the mushroom and onion mixture, bacon slices and drizzle with the Guinness Barbecue Sauce. Serve with extra Guinness Barbecue Sauce on the side.
