How to make the ultimate homemade bacon cheeseburger while you're camping. Skillet or grilled, cooking tips and toppings ideas, all in one easy recipe.
I'm not gonna lie… I love a good cheeseburger, especially when it involves one of my favorite things ever, bacon.
I mean, bacon, ground beef, and cheese… How can you go wrong? It's such a delicious combination, especially when it has that smoky campfire flavor.
Making a bacon burger over the fire is one of the simplest camping recipes you can make. It doesn't involve a lot of prep or work, besides getting the fire going, which if you're camping and allowed to have a fire, it's a no brainer.
Now if you're not allowed to have a campfire, no problem. You can still make this recipe on a cook stove or even, if allowed, on a grill.
Love a good grilling recipe? You'll love our Chicago hot dog recipe and taco tuna melt.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my campfire cooking/grilling tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the bacon cheeseburger recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
WHAT'S ON A BACON CHEESEBURGER?
So before we get started cooking, let's take a look at what we put on our bacon cheeseburger for toppings. That way you have everything you need before you ever start making.
Below are a few ideas for toppings that we like to use, as well as a few extras you may want to add too.
- Bacon – Because of course.
- Cheese – We sometimes use American, and sometimes extra sharp cheddar or pepper Jack. I especially love a good extra sharp cheddar cheese.
- Lettuce
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced onions – Red onion really gives a pop of flavor and spice.
- Mayo, Miracle Whip, ketchup, and/or mustard
- BBQ sauce
- Avocado
- Fried Egg – Sometimes a dippy egg really adds pizzazz to a burger.
- Dill pickles
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED COOKING…
Your fire should be down to coals, with a little bit of flame here and there.
We use a tripod grill. You’ll want to watch it closely, though, as you may need to adjust the height of the grill over the fire, so the pan or griddle you're using doesn’t get so hot that it cooks everything too quickly.
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD BACON CHEESEBURGER
While there are a few steps to making a good bacon burger, they're super easy steps, and your burgers will be ready to eat in no time.
- First add the ground beef and seasonings to a mixing bowl (or plastic baggie).
- Add the water, as well, (this makes for a more juicy burger) and mix everything together with your hands.
- Then shape the ground beef mixture into patties and place on a griddle or skillet, with the already heated bacon grease, over the campfire. Cook bacon and burgers until the meat is fully cooked.
- Then top with cheese and continue cooking each burger patty until the cheese is melted or begins to melt.
Also, I highly recommend toasting the burger buns in a little bacon grease, until they turn a nice golden brown. Not too toasty but just enough to add a li'l flavor and crispness to the edges of the buns.
Once the burgers, bacon, and buns are done, you can remove them from the heat and begin assembling your burgers.
Just add the burger patties to the toasty buns, along with your favorite condiments and toppings.
I usually go for mayo, ketchup, and mustard, all three. Then add my burger patty, bacon, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THE ULTIMATE BACON CHEESEBURGER
Your bacon burger definitely needs some sides to go with it. Ideas may include…
- Fries or onion rings – Nothing beats a good bacon cheeseburger and fries, especially steak fries.
- Salad – You could go for a nice side salad or go with potato salad or pasta salad instead.
- Carrot sticks and celery sticks
- Grilled corn on the cob or Mexican corn on the cob (also with bacon)
- Homemade baked beans
- Fruit salad
- Potato chips
- Tortilla chips and salsa
- Coleslaw
- Watermelon or cantaloupe
SHOP KITCHEN TOOLS AND CAMPING GEAR FOR THIS RECIPE:
Small Mixing Bowl or Plastic Bag
Large Cast Iron Skillet – You can also find a 14-inch cast iron pizza pan, which is similar to our large homemade griddle and would work well for cooking burgers and bacon.
Tripod Grill – While we rigged up our own tripod grill, you can also buy them. They come with slightly smaller grates, but still usable over the fire.
Cutting Board and Outdoor Knife Set
Welding Gloves – These work so much better for cooking over a campfire than regular grilling gloves/mitts.
We’ve put together a list of camping cooking gear you may need for your next adventure. Be sure to check it out for all the essentials!
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Ultimate Campfire Bacon Cheeseburger
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- 6 slices American cheese*
- 12 lettuce leaves
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 to matoes
- 6 hamburger buns
- 6 tablespoons ketchup
- 6 tablespoons mayo
- 6 teaspoons yellow mustard
Instructions
- First add the ground beef and seasonings to a mixing bowl (or plastic baggie).
- Add the water**, as well, and mix everything together with your hands.
- Then shape the ground beef mixture into patties and place on the griddle.
- Cook the bacon and burgers until all of the meat is fully cooked.
- Then top the burger patties with cheese and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.
- Toast the burger buns in the leftover bacon grease until they turn a nice golden brown.
- Add the burger patties to the toasted buns, along with your favorite condiments and toppings. I usually go for a little mayo or Miracle Whip, ketchup, and mustard. Then add my burger patty, bacon, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.
- And that's it, you're ready to chow down on your burgers.
