Backyard Bacon Cheeseburgers. Credit: Kristin Teig
FOR THE SPECIAL SAUCE
Mayonnaise: 60 ml
Ketchup: 1.5 tsp
Mustard: 1.5 tsp
Dill or sweet relish: 1 tsp
Hot sauce: 2 dashes
Cayenne pepper: scant pinch
Salt: pinch
Freshly ground black pepper: few twists
FOR THE BURGERS
Ground beef: 737 g (80/20)
Potato rolls or hamburger buns: 4
Kosher salt: to taste
Freshly ground black pepper: to taste
Smoked orange cheddar: 4 slices
White or yellow onion: 4 slices (extremely thin)
Bacon: 4 slices (cooked and snapped in half)
Iceberg lettuce torn: 8 burger-sized sheets
Smashburgers may be popular but for Galuten a backyard barbeque requires something more substantial. “High-quality beef, barely formed into a patty, charred, and rare on a screaming-hot grill, with a slice of wilted smoked cheddar, a smear of ‘special sauce’ on a soft potato roll, with a whisper of thinly sliced raw onion, a slice of crispy bacon, and crunchy iceberg lettuce,” he describes. The key is to buy the best ground beef you can find and mostly leave it alone (80/20 lean/fat ratio is ideal). “Don’t compact it or overwork it—just lightly shape it into patties and season it right before it goes on the grill,” he stresses.
(From Grill Time! by Noah Galuten. Copyright © 2026. Reprinted by permission of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
- In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, and black pepper until combined.
- Set aside.
- Preheat the grill to high heat, then clean and oil the grates well.
- Divide the beef into 4 equal portions. If the beef is wet, pat dry with a paper towel.
- Gently shape the meat into patties slightly wider than the buns. Press a shallow indentation into the center of each patty with your thumb to help the burgers cook evenly without puffing in the middle.
- Refrigerate until ready to grill. If holding longer than a few minutes, cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Bacon is optional, though Galuten recommends it.
- Rather than grilling the bacon, he prefers roasting it in a 400°F oven in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet tray until golden and mostly crisp with a little chew remaining.
- Cook extra bacon if possible. People tend to snack on it before the burgers hit the grill.
- Grill the cut sides of the buns until lightly toasted. Remove from the grill and spread both sides generously with special sauce.
- Season the tops of the burgers generously with salt and black pepper, then place them seasoning-side down on the grill. Season the second side with salt and pepper.
- Cook until lightly charred on the first side, about 2 minutes, or longer for a more well-done burger.
- Flip the burgers and top with smoked cheddar, onion slices, and halved bacon slices. Continue cooking for about 90 seconds more, or until the burgers reach the desired temperature. Galuten aims for about 120°F for a rare burger.
- Add the bacon (if using).
- Divide the iceberg lettuce among the bottom buns and place the burger patties on top. Close the buns and serve immediately.
