There’s nothing like a really good bacon cheeseburger every once in a while from a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. On a brioche bun with thin shoestring fries. (If there was avocado involved I wouldn’t be mad at it). They get me every time, and I love them for it. At the same time though, there’s also nothing like a really [good] bad bacon cheeseburger from a greasy fast food restaurant/dive bar, am I right? I’ve had a love affair with burgers, mini and normal sized alike, for awhile now. I even turned it into pierogis not that long ago, which I highly recommend if you haven’t tried them yet. Before I dive into this post though, I have to tell you that I’ve been making wellington for as long as I can remember. It was one of the first dishes I made when I started cooking as a teenager because it felt like the fanciest thing I could make at the time. I made it with chicken instead of beef because cooking steak still intimidated me at that age. I actually don’t make it that often anymore for some reason, so I decided to give it another go. This time around though I ditched the chicken, opted out for a bacon cheeseburger wellington situation that we can all get on board with. It’s everything we know and love in a classic bacon cheeseburger wrapped up in a flaky puff pastry bundle. I’m convinced that this dish is what dreams are made of.
Let’s talk about burgers for a minute. Whenever I make a burger patty, I follow the same rule of 50-50. And that’s half ground sirloin and half ground pork. I like mixing the two together because it’s a nice blend of different meats and fats, which give the burgers a very nice flavor. In a large bowl, combine the ground meats with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and mustard. Then shape into 4 equal patties.
Sear the burgers on each side, until charred and crispy. Keep in mind that we’re not trying to cook the patties all the way through at this stage. We’re just trying to develop flavor and color. So only cook them long enough to brown on each side, they’ll continue to cook all the way through in the oven.
**Note: Because of the ground pork in the mixture, the burgers have to be fully cooked. You can’t really cook them medium/medium-rare, or anything like that.**
Working with one puff pastry sheet at a time, cut it in half and roll out each half slightly to make them a bit bigger. Then spread the center of each with mustard and ketchup.
**Note: When rolling each half, there really isn’t a science or anything on how to roll it out. The goal is to make the pieces slightly large enough to wrap around the burgers.**
Top each with two whole slices of bacon, cut in half, a slice of cheese and a few pickle slices. You can also add caramelized onions, jalapeño slices, or sautéed mushrooms at this point if you want a more flavorful burger.
**Note: I like using American cheese for this because it reminds me of burgers from dive bars and my childhood, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand or really like.**
Then place a cooled burger patty on top of the entire situation. Then wrap the puff pastry around the fillings and seal the edges as best you can with your fingers.
Place the wellingtons seam side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each liberally with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. That’ll give these wellingtons that hamburger look and feel to them.
Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven until puffed up and golden brown all around, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before servings.
Mean while in a large medium bowl, let’s make the sauce. Stir together the mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish and hot sauce until evenly combined. Season the special sauce with a a bit of salt and pepper to taste, depending on what your taste preference is.
At this point you can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to use. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. use it for sandwiches, burgers or as a dipping sauce for french fries. It’s super versatile and incredibly easy to make.
Allow the wellingtons to cool before serving. I like to serve them on top of a few pieces of lettuce and slices of tomato. The way you would serve a burger. It completes that burger experience. Serve with the special sauce on the side for dipping and dunking.
I also like to serve these burgers with crinkle cut fries on the side, because I love Shake Shack and they serve crinkle cut fries and what’s a burger without fries, really? We just spent all this time making these wellingtons so I think it’s okay if we take some help from the store and heat up some frozen fries in the oven. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.
For the best flavor and experience, these are best eaten the same day, right out of the oven (with a little cooling time of course) because you want the puff pastry to be flaky and warm.
Although I will admit that I ate leftovers the next day straight from the fridge and it wasn’t the most horrible thing in the world. Not ideal, but also not that bad. If you make this for dinner for 4 people, you won’t have leftovers, so you don’t have to worry about it.
If you’re looking for a great meal to make during the week, are in the mood for hamburgers, but are tired of those everyday burgers that we’re all used to, then these Bacon Cheeseburger Wellington are definitely the way to go. It’s something new and exciting to serve your family or friends during the week, and what’s more you’ll be so happy you ventured out of your burger box. I hope you give them a try soon, and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 8 slices bacon, cooked until crispy
- 4 slices American or Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup pickle slices, drained
- 1 large egg, whisked with a splash of water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- couple dashes hot sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine together the ground sirloin, ground pork, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon yellow mustard until evenly mixed through. Divide into 4 equal pieces and then shape each portion into a very large burger patty, placing on a plate or baking sheet. Continue shaping the rest of the patties.
- Place a large griddle pan or grill pan over medium-high heat. Once very hot and smokey, grease with a bit of canola oil. Cook the patties, in batches (depending on how big your pan is) for about 2 to 4 minutes on the first side, or until charred and browned. Flip over and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. We're not trying to cook them all the way at this point, because they'll continue to cook in the oven. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet and continue cooking the rest. Let cool to room temperature.
- Working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time, cut it in half. Roll out each half slightly to make them larger. Spread the center of each half with mustard and ketchup. Place two full slices of bacon in the center of each, you might have to cut the bacon in half so you'll end up with four half slices for each one. Top with a slice of cheese, and a few pickles. Place the cooled burger on top and then wrap the puff pastry over everything.Turn over and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this with the second puff pastry sheet and remaining burger ingredients.
- Brush the tops of each with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- In the mean time, to make the sauce, combine the mayo, relish, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Serve the wellingtons on top of lettuce and tomato, and special sauce on the side. Enjoy!
I don’t know about you but I want some of that Sweet Lo’s Icecream 🍦 Some of that brown sugar pecan French toast icecream Jon was talking about!! Bring me some please jk!
Brilliant!!!
Thank you!!