Step up your Labor Day cookout – try Chef Troy’s Spicy Bacon Jam Budweiser Burgers.

Time to fire up the grill.

Burgers and beer are an all-American match made in heaven, and this recipe from Chef Troy Gagliardo uses classic Budweiser to make these spicy burgers even better. It’s classic Americana, taken up a notch.

Go ahead, crack open a cold one while you whip these up. We won’t tell.

[Photographed by Christina Hussey]

Spicy Bacon Jam Budweiser Burger

Beer + Burgers. It doesn’t get more American than this. 

Recipe by Chef Troy Gagliardo

Serves 4

Ingredients

Burgers

• 4 sturdy burger buns
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1/2 pounds brisket
• bbq rub, to taste
• 8 slices cheddar cheese
• 4 raw, thinly sliced Fresno chili peppers

Bacon Jam

• 6 slices cooked, smoked bacon (reserve drippings)
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced red onion
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup Budweiser
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Ivory Budweiser mop sauce

• 1/4 cup Budweiser
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup mayo
• 3 Tbs honey
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed into a paste
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Make the mop sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing until smooth. This can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge.
2. Form the patties into eight 4-ounce portions and refrigerate until it’s time to grill.
3. Make the bacon jam: Place cooked and drained bacon in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion, paprika, sugar, vinegar, Budweiser and salt/pepper. Cook on low heat until bacon and onion are softened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat the grill for direct heat grilling over medium-high heat.
5. Remove patties from fridge and season both sides with bbq rub, then place them on the grill
6. After the burgers are slightly charred on one side, about 2 minutes, flip and add cheese to each one.
7. When cheese is melted, remove the patties from the grill and place bus cut-side down on the grill to toast.
8. Assemble in this order: bun, mop, double patty of burger and cheese, bacon jam, Fresno chili pepper, bun.
9. Enjoy with a tall glass of Budweiser.

Need a taste test? Troy’s got us covered:

(Note: This content was co-created with Adams Beverages.)