Pimento Cheese Burgers

Our Pimento Cheeseburgers are the perfect way to gussy up your next backyard barbecue. We season all-beef patties simply with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce grill them and then generously smother them with homemade pimento cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato, then sandwich it between at buttery “everything” brioche bun. Simple and so delicious.

Pimento Cheeseburgers

Despite my best efforts to practice self control and eat healthy this week to continue my baby weight loss journey, my will power increasingly decreased as the days went on. Because something as good as our Pimento Cheeseburger deserves to be celebrated even in a postpartum world.

This is the first real beef burger I’ve made in ages – no turkey, no chicken, no seafood, no veggies – just a juicy all-beef burger seasoned to perfection, smothered with tangy pimento cheese and topped with crunchy bacon. To amp up the flavor even more, we brush brioche buns with egg wash and then copiously top them with everything seasoning.

This will be one of those instances where only eating half is just not an option because each bite of juicy beef, cheesy pimento and crisp bacon will lure you back in for more. Trust me, no morsel of this burger will go uneaten.

The Pimento Cheese

What I really love about our pimento cheese is it’s not only a great addition to a burger, but you can slather the stuff on everything from grilled cheeses, to chicken or, my personal favorite, an elevated BLT. It’s also stupid simple to throw together, here’s what you’ll need:

Cheddar cheese: The sharpest you can find! And DO NOT buy pre-shredded cheese. Any aged yellow cheddar will work great, the more aged it is, the better.

Mayo. To become a spread, you need a little bit of mayo. To keep it a little bit lighter, I like to use low-fat mayo. Resist the urge to buy non-fat. That stuff is shit.

Cream cheese. Again, you don’t need full-fat cream cheese, low-fat is just fine. Do make sure it’s room temperature so it blends with the other ingredients easily.

Spices. Most of the time for garlic flavor, I like to use fresh garlic, her I like to use garlic powder and onion powder instead because it’s a little bit more mild.

Pimentos. I like to use the pimentos AND some of the juice, so don’t drain it completely!

Everything else

Ground beef. For burgers, it’s always best to use 85/15 lean ground beef. If you have a favorite steak burger blend, you can use that was well.

Salt. The key to a good burger is seasoning!

Worcestershire sauce. This is the secret ingredients I use whenever I’m grilling burgers. It adds a savory saltiness that takes up a notch.

Bacon. Pimento cheese and bacon go together like peanut butter and jelly. Enough said.

Buns. I like to use a buttery brioche bun dressed up with everything bagel seasoning. It’s a really simple way to elevate an otherwise plain bun.

Toppings. We keep things simple with some fresh heirloom tomatoes and butter lettuce.

Let’s Make Pimento Cheeseburgers

Make the patties. If you don’t buy your patties already made (we like to buy Whole Foods premium beef patties to save time), divide the meat into four balls. Let the meat sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Gently form into a patty but try to work it as little as possible. Season the patties on both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.

Make the buns. Brush the top of each bun with egg wash. Sprinkle with everything seasoning. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Grill. Heat a grill to medium-high. Add the burgers. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until the burger reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 for medium.

Make the pimento cheese. While the burgers cook, add the cheddar, mayo, cream cheese, garlic powder and salt to the bottom of a food processor. Pulse until combine. Add the pimentos and pulse a few more times. Be sure to leave some texture and whole pieces of pimento.

Assemble. Spread some pimento cheese on the bottom of each bun. Cover with lettuce and a slice of tomato. Top with patty. Dollop more pimento cheese on top of the patty. Cover with bacon and a top bun. Enjoy!

Can I make Pimento Cheeseburgers in advance?

In short, no. However, you could form the patties, make the buns and pimento cheese a day or so in advance.

Do I have to use beef?

No! Of course you use whatever meat you like.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t overcook your burgers, be sure to have a meat thermometer on hand.
• Make the pimento cheese up to five days in advance.
• Don’t over process the cheese! Pulse just until it comes together.