Happy July! The month of patriotism, fireworks, and summer. Naturally, for this month we’re sticking to a 4th of July classic: Burgers. Perfect for your family gathering before you blow stuff up. This recipe combines good ol’ grass-fed beef with whiskey and bacon…’Merica!

I had actually come across a video from the BBQ Pit Boys a few times and decided to try my own take of their whiskey burger. This was just used as inspiration. I left out and added quite a bit, strayed from their method, and as much as I would’ve liked to be doing this in the woods with the perfect smoker like they do, I stayed on my front porch with my average, tiny smoker (Can you guess what’ll be on my Christmas list this year?). But you know what? There’s nothing whiskey, bacon, and cheese can’t make better.

Ingredients:

• Seasoning (or any seasoning of your choice)
  • 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (love the smell of this!)
  • 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 Pounds Grant Creek Ranch grass-fed beef (Makes 4 burgers)
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 Tablespoons BBQ sauce
• Crispy onion strings (Store-bought or make your own!)
• 1/2 Cup Whiskey
• 8 Slices Bacon
• 4 Slices Swiss Cheese

*Disclaimer – These measurements are an estimate. I eye-balled most of it. There’s lots of freedom (pun totally intended) with this recipe.

Make It!

• First, mix all the seasoning ingredients together. This recipe actually makes quite a bit and you can use as much or as little as you like. I had a lot left over to use for future recipes.
• Mix some of the seasoning mixture into each 1/2 pound of beef along with a 1/4 of Worcestershire sauce each, and then form your patties. Because grass-fed is leaner, it sometimes helps to add that extra moisture you get from the Worcestershire, even if you can’t pronounce it.
• If you have rings you can form the patties in, that’s great. If not, you can make one out of aluminum foil, although this step isn’t completely necessary. It just helps to hold everything together, especially when you pour the whiskey on top.
• Poke holes in your patties and put a layer of brown sugar on top. You can also use more of the seasoning mixture above. I personally would use more brown sugar than I did next time.

(Please ignore the poor quality of my photos. We’re in a remodeling process and my lighting is not the best)

• Drizzle a tablespoon of BBQ sauce over each patty. (I forgot this step)
• Pour a tablespoon of whiskey over each patty.
• Let sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• This is the time I used to get my charcoal going for the smoker, fry up some bacon, and make my crispy onion strings.
• When your smoker is ready to go, put the patties on, close the lid, and wait. Then, go ahead and sneak that shot of whiskey and slice of bacon. No judgement here.
• I smoked my burgers for about an hour. When I got them out they looked smoky, glazed and beautiful.

• Next, build your burger however you like and pair with your favorite BBQ sides (which I was lacking at the moment).

Overall, I thought this burger was pretty delicious and had a very deep smoky flavor. Very moist and cooked perfectly, I will definitely be making this again!

Let me know if you gave it a try in the comments below!