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This Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger has it all. Crispy bacon, smoked cheddar, natural peanut butter, and sweet and spicy chilli jam all top a juicy beef burger on a brioche bun. Guys, this is crazy good. Trust me. You'll love it.
This might be the weirdest summer I've ever experienced, including the summer I spent in Taiwan. We're still in the grips of a global pandemic. Most shops, pubs, and restaurants are still largely closed, and you're only allowed to meet up with one other household, outdoors, and at a two meter distance.
Racist statues are being toppled around the world, and white folks, myself included, are finally reaching a deeper understanding of how the whole system's been rigged practicaly from the start. It feels scary and hopeful and exciting all at once. Laws actually seem to be changing at last. We're doing much more than just watching in horror. We're finally waking up and starting to fix things. I'm sorry it's taken so long.
And on top of that, we're still trying to find ways to bring joy to our daily lives in this new world. Are we allowed to do things like make dinner for our families and read novels and cozy up on the couch and watch Netflix? I think there's time for that, too.
Wait, what kind of burger?
Now that I've given us all permission to freak out about cheeseburgers, I've gotta tell you, I'm so freakin' excited to share this Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger with you. Just looking at the pictures again makes me so hungry. These burgers were ridiculous.
Particularly for my British readers who didn't grow up with pb&j, this might sound super weird. Please don't let that stop you. Use natural peanut butter that doesn't have a bunch of added sugar. It's going to add a deep earthiness. The pepper jelly or chilli jam, depending on where you live and what you can get, does have a sweetness. To me, it's balanced out against not only the beef and bacon, but also the smoky cheddar.
How to make a Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger
Start by cooking up your bacon in your frying pan first. I stole this idea from Five Guys and started chopping my bacon into 1-inch pieces. This way the bacon is more crispy, and you don't ever have that experience of pulling out an entire strip of bacon in one bite, then being left with a sad, baconless burger.
While your bacon is crisping up, prepare your burger patties. Season them however you like. I have a whole post on how to make a basic burger from scratch. Check it out if you're not confident with this.
Then it's really just assembly. I like a soft burger bun, so I didn't toast mine, but you totally could. Just make sure each side of the bun gets a little bit of mayo to help prevent sogginess. I like to put the bacon on the bottom, then the burger toopped with the cheese. The peanut butter is thick and hard to spread, so it just gets sort of smooshed over the top bun. Then I spoon the chilli jam over the top of the cheese, put the lid on, give it a bit of a squish, and dig in.
So maybe we can't solve all the world's problems with a backyard barbecue, but it's not the worst place to start. At the very least, take a little break and treat yourself to a Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger. You deserve it.
PrintPeanut Butter & Jelly Burger
This Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger has crispy bacon, smoked cheddar, natural peanut butter, and chilli jam.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 burgers 1x
- Category: Burgers
- Method: Pan Fried
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 slices streaky bacon
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ garlic granules
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 slices smoked cheddar
- 4 brioche buns
- about 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- about 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- about 4 tablespoons chilli jam or pepper jelly
Instructions
- Use your kitchen scissors to cut your bacon into 1-inch pieces directly into a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. If you have quite a lot of bacon fat in the pan, drain some of it off until you have just enough to coat the pan.
- While you're bacon is cooking, you can mix up your burger patties. Add your ground beef to a mixing bowl, and sprinkle over the salt, papper, onion powder, garlic granules, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Use your hands to gently mix everything together, then divide this mixture into four equal portions. Shape them into patties and set aside until the bacon is done.
- Crank the heat up to medium-high under your skillet and add your burger patties to the hot pan. Use your turner to gently press down on each patty. Cook for about five minutes on the first side and three minutes on second side for medium well. Adjust the cooking time to your desired level of doneness.
- You can add the cheese about a minute before you take each burger out of the pan to help it get melty. I always forget. Once your burgers are cooked the way you like, transfer them to a paper-towel lined plate.
- To assemble your burger, cut your buns in half if you didn't buy them that way. Spread a thin layer of mayo onto each cut side of your bun. Start with some bacon pieces on the bottom, then put a burger patty and some cheese on top of that. Smoosh your peanut butter as best you can onto the top bun. It's thick and hard to spread. Spoon some chilli jam over the top of your burger, and squish the top bun down over the whole mess. Enjoy!
Keywords: Burger, Peanut Butter
I so hope you make this burger. Please please please share your photos with me on Instagram. It would make me outrageously happy. I can't wait for you to try it.
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