Twisted Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

How to make Twisted Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe - Original recipe from Fritz Wiesehan

Serves: 8–12

Ingredients:
8–12 pretzel slider buns
16 pieces of arugula
2 pounds ground wagyu beef
1 green bell pepper, nearly minced
1 red bell pepper, nearly minced
1 small white onion, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp granulated garlic
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne

Smoked Bacon Jam Ingredients:
2 pounds sliced maple bacon
1 large onion, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp Twisted Belly’s BBQ Rub
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup Twisted Belly’s Melon Madness BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
6 tbsp turbinado sugar
2 tbsp of hot sauce

Cheese Spread Ingredients:
1 cup of whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup of Port wine cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of crumbled blue cheese

Smoked Bacon Jam Instructions:
Preheat the smoker to about 275 to 300 degrees F and add 1 to 2 chunks of apple wood.

Place all the bacon in the smoker with an aluminum pan below to catch the grease (you will need this later). Cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until crisp.

We prefer cast iron when possible, but any saucepan will work. Preheat the cast-iron Dutch oven over low to medium heat and add the grease from the bacon. If there is not enough grease, you can use vegetable oil.

Once the grease or oil is preheated, add the onions and allow to soften for about 15 to 20 minutes or until translucent.

Add the sliced shallots, minced garlic, and BBQ Rub to the onions and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not let the garlic burn.)

Add the remainder of ingredients and mix all sugars completely. Make sure that all the sugar has dissolved completely.

Allow this mixture to cook for about 1 hour and let everything thicken and reduce.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for another hour.

Add the cooled mixture to your food processor along with the cooked bacon.

Mix all ingredients until the bacon is chopped and mixed evenly throughout. Do not over-mix. With a spatula, remove mixture from the food processor and enjoy. This can be served cold or warm.

Method:
Prepare Smoked Bacon Jam.

Mix all Cheese Spread ingredients together.

Preheat the grill to 500 to 600 degrees F or whatever will allow you to get a nice char on both sides.

Start by mixing all wet ingredients (ground wagyu, green and red bell peppers, white onion, and egg). Make sure everything is mixed evenly.

Add all dry ingredients to the mix (brown sugar, chili powder, granulated garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne). Mix evenly.

Form 8 to 12 patties.

Place all the patties directly on the grill (leave the lid open), and allow both sides of each patty to get charred.

Once the desired char is achieved, remove the burgers from the grill and place in an aluminum pan.

Close the lid on the grill and allow the temperature to lower to about 250 to 275 degrees F.

Once the grill is down to the appropriate ambient temperature, place the entire aluminum pan back on the grill. This allows the temperature of the burgers to be monitored more easily so that they can reach the perfect internal temperature. It is a good idea to take the temperature at this time.

Cook burgers for about another 30 minutes, depending how much they got cooked during the initial searing. Cook burgers to about 145 to 150 degrees F (internal temperature), or to your preference.

Once the desired internal temperature of the burgers is reached, remove from the grill (still in the pan), and allow the burgers to rest for 10 minutes or so.

Apply the Smoked Bacon Jam to the bottom of each pretzel bun.

Apply the Cheese Spread to the top of each bun.

Add a burger to each bun, place arugula on top of the patty, and place the top of the bun on top of the arugula.