One of the best things about The Wild Diet is that you can drop fat while enjoying ridiculously tasty treats like bacon cheeseburgers.

And this post will give you one of our favorite recipes for making our fat-burning bacon cheeseburger. (Just remember to ditch the wheat bun – that’s the most fattening part of the burger!)

Now, you might have come across some bit of nonsense recently saying that red meat will stop your heart and give you cancer.

Here’s the thing about that.

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) released their red and processed meat “recommendations,” there’s been a ton of misinformation running rampant about steaks, burgers, and bacon.

The bottom line is, moderate consumption of free-range, pastured, unprocessed meat from healthy animals is fine. In fact, it’s healthy.

WHO’s recommendations were based on new research conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)—(you can read that full report here). You can also read my response to their recommendations here.

If you cook it right and cut processed junk (that includes conventional hot dogs and bologna) and toxic foods out of your diet, you’ll quickly realize that meat isn’t the culprit. Unfortunately, the IARC didn’t differentiate between good quality meat eaten as part of a clean-food diet and feedlot meat eaten on processed buns with a side of fries.

There is a monumental difference between eating the meat from healthy, pastured animals raised on their natural diet and the factory-farmed, low-quality processed meat you find at convenience stores.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t make a habit of eating factory farmed meat. If you’re going to eat high-fat meals like bacon cheeseburgers, it’s more important than ever to go for pasture-raised animals like grass-fed beef, pastured bison, or wild game meat.

The same goes for bacon – don’t get the processed junk from factory farmed animals. It’s just about as bad as bologna – packed with nitrates, nitrites, MSG, and other substances that make you fat and sick.

Instead, make sure you’re using the best quality pastured meat and bacon with no added nitrates or nitrites. If you can’t get it locally or want to save money by buying in bulk, you can get some great deals by ordering online through Slanker Grass-Fed Meats or US Wellness Meats.

Laid on top of fresh lettuce and topped with the classic onion-and-tomato combo, you can be sure that burger night just got a little bit baconer—I mean, better.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

 

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Abel James

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) package nitrate-free/nitrite-free bacon
• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter (or leftover bone broth butter)
• 1 beefsteak or vine-ripened red tomato (organic)
• 4 leaves fresh broad-leafed lettuce (See note below for our Sweet Potato Bun recipe instead of using lettuce wraps)
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 4 ounces grass-fed cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1 tablespoon grainy garlic mustard
• Pickle spears, for serving

Instructions

1. Divide the bacon slices into two portions, saving 4 to 8 slices to go on top of the burgers. Mince or chop the remaining slices as fine as possible and place in a large bowl.
2. Add the ground beef and coconut aminos to the minced bacon and use your hands to mix them together.
3. Divide the burger mixture into four equal portions, flattening each portion into a patty with the palms of your hands.
4. In a skillet, heat the other portion of bacon over medium-low heat, slowly rendering the fat from the bacon as you cook it. Once done, set bacon aside and reserve bacon fat in the skillet.
5. Peel the onion and slice it into rings. Grease another skillet with butter, and cook onion slices over medium heat until caramelized.
6. Cut the tomato into thick slices, and set aside for serving.
7. Rinse the lettuce and pat dry. Set aside for serving.
8. Heat the skillet with bacon fat over medium heat.
9. Season the burger patties with salt and pepper and place in the bacon greased skillet. Cook until the underside is browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes more, until the meat is cooked through but the outside is not charred. If using cheese, add cheese during the last minute in the skillet.
10. For each burger, lay a lettuce leaf on a plate and top with a burger, tomato, raw or caramelized onion, bacon, and garlic mustard. Serve with a pickle spear on the side.

Notes

These burgers can also be cooked on the grill. See page 172 of The Wild Diet for grilling instructions.

3.2.2925

Sweet potato buns are another great option for serving with your burgers if you don’t want to use lettuce wraps. They take a little longer to prep, so get these ready before starting on the burgers. Here’s the recipe:

Sweet Potato Buns

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 organic sweet potato (try to get a fatter sweet potato instead of a long skinny one)
• 2-4 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee, melted (or duck fat, tallow, or coconut oil)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. While water is heating up, thinly slice the sweet potato. A sharp knife or mandolin is very useful here.
4. Add sweet potato slices to the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from water and thoroughly pat dry.
6. Dredge each sweet potato slice in melted butter and place in a single layer on the foil lined-baking sheet. You can also place sweet potato slices on the foil-lined baking sheet and pour butter over the slices, flipping to coat.
7. Salt and pepper the tops of the slices.
8. Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness, until lightly browned on the underside. Watch closely so they don’t burn.
9. Flip and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden browned. Again, watch closely so they don’t burn.
10. When you’re ready to serve, place your burger on one sweet potato bun top with mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles and any other topping you’re using, and then place another bun on top.

NOTE: If you have extra time to prepare these, you can cook them low and slow by baking in the oven at 250°F for 2 hours.

This burger is so versatile, you might want to make extra to chop up and throw in your lunchbox collard-wrapped burrito or to toss into your next big salad. And give your burger a nice tang and some gut-health oomf by topping it with homemade sauerkraut.

Do you need more clean-eating ideas, meals on the go, fat-melting desserts? The Ultimate Bacon Burger recipe is just one of many you’ll enjoy as member of the Fat-Burning Tribe.

If you hurry, you can check out the Fat-Burning Tribe and participate in our 30-Day Fat Loss Challenge (starting in late January, 2016) where you can download the 30-Day Meal Plan and access our library of recipes and videos for only $1 for the first month (cancel anytime!).

What are your favorite burger toppings? Share them with us in the comments below.

LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD

Discover how to drop fat with chocolate, bacon, and cheesecake. Plus: learn the 3 worst foods you should NEVER eat and the 7 best exercises for rapid fat loss. Click below to to claim your FREE gift ($17 value)!

INSTANT ACCESS

You might also be interested in:

Watch The Wild Diet on My Diet Is Better Than Yours with Abel James & Shaun T

How to Make Fat-Burning Chicken Parmesan Recipe (Wild Diet & Paleo-Friendly)

Ragin’ Cajun Blackened Catfish (Wild Diet, Paleo-Friendly)