Two crispy smash patties layered with bacon and melted cheddar — this Double Stack Bacon Burger is everything a smash burger should be: lacy, crusted edges, molten cheese and a hit of smoke in every bite.
It’s one of the 20 recipes inside our Burger Cookbook, and we’re sharing it in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. The hands-on time is short — twelve minutes of cooking — but the technique is what makes it sing.
Why this recipe works
The secret is the smash itself: loose, unpacked 75g balls flattened hard within seconds of hitting a smoking-hot pan, so the beef spreads thin and its crust forms in a lacy Maillard sear. Rendering the bacon first means the patties fry in that smoky fat, and double-stacking two cheese patties with two bacon strips builds height without ever going dry.
Ingredients
Patties & bacon
- 300g ground beef (80/20)
- 4 strips smoked bacon
- 40g aged cheddar, sliced thin
- 15ml neutral oil
Bun & sauce
- 2 potato buns, lightly toasted
- 30ml mayonnaise
- 15ml ketchup
- 15g dill pickle chips
Optional garnish
- 10g crispy fried shallots
Serves 2 · Prep 10 min · Cook 12 min · 784 kcal per serving
Instructions
- Render the bacon. Lay bacon cold in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook 6–7 minutes, turning once, until deep amber and crisp. Drain on paper and keep the rendered fat in the pan.
- Form loose balls. Divide beef into four 75g balls — do not pack them. Mix mayo and ketchup for the sauce. Heat the skillet (with bacon fat plus oil) over very high heat until smoking.
- Smash and crust. Place two balls in the pan, smash flat with a spatula to 5mm, season with salt. Sear 90 seconds until a dark crust forms, flip, lay cheddar on top, and cook 30 seconds more. Repeat with remaining balls.
- Stack and serve. Spread sauce on both bun halves. On the base stack: cheese patty, bacon strip, second cheese patty, second bacon strip, pickles and fried shallots. Close and press gently to bond the layers.
Grill master tip
Smash within 10 seconds of hitting the pan — waiting lets the exterior set before it flattens, killing the lacy Maillard crust that defines a smash burger.
Get the full Burger Cookbook
Loved this one? It’s a single recipe from a 20-strong collection of burgers built the same way — clear ingredients, exact timings, no guesswork. Grab the full Burger Cookbook below.
