"These glorious toppings include onion rings dunked in barbecue sauce and brown sugar, then seared on high for a new twist on topping a meaty, savory, cheese-dripping burger—not to mention the quarter pound of grilled bacon."
2 pounds ground beef
1 red onion
1 cup brown sugar, more may be needed
1 cup sweet barbecue sauce, more may be needed (we used GMG Cattle Drive)
8 slices cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon GMG beef rub
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 pound bacon
4 buns, toasted
other toppings (optional):
mayonnaise
lettuce
tomato
Preheat the grill to 500°F. (We suggest our Fruitwood Blend pellets of Orchard Cherry, American Beech, and Sweet Pecan.)
Put your ground beef, egg, and spices in a large bowl and mix well.
Form 3–5 thick hamburger patties tightly and set them aside.
Cut your red onion into 4–5 thick slices and pull the slices apart into a few solid rings. Coat the rings with a light layer of your favorite barbecue sauce, then sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bottom.
Place the burger patties, bacon, and onion rings on your smoker and grill them hot and fast.
After your first flip on the burgers, 7–10 minutes, place a generous amount of cheddar cheese on each patty. Be sure to flip the onions once as well.
Place the probe in your thickest burger patty and pull them off the grill at 135° for medium-rare.
Assemble the burger by topping the patty with bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, the caramelized onion rings, and a light layer of extra barbecue sauce.