This Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger recipe came straight out of my trip to Pendleton, Oregon. If you’ve never been to the Pendleton Round-Up, put it on your list. It’s one of the biggest rodeos in North America, and it’s been running every September since 1910. Fifty thousand people pack that arena. The whole town turns into something out of another era.
Post Sponsored by Pendleton Whisky
So no surprise here, but I came home and built an epic whisky jalapeno burger around it. It’s my take on the classic cowboy burger, but instead of pouring barbecue sauce out of a bottle, we’re making a whisky jalapeno BBQ glaze with Pendleton Whisky. Then we pile on smoky bacon and crispy onion rings. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite burgers I’ve ever made.
Saddle up. Let ‘er buck.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Let’r Buck Western Burger Recipe
- A Little Bit About Pendleton Whisky
- Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger Ingredients Round-Up
- How to Make a Western BBQ Burger
- Fry the Onion Rings
- Cook the Bacon
- Smash the Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger Patties
- Make the Glaze
- Build It
- Pro Tip: Get That Skillet Screaming
- What to Serve with BBQ Burgers
- Storage & Leftovers
- More epic burger recipes!
- FAQs for Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burgers
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Let’er Buck Burger Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Let’r Buck Western Burger Recipe
First, the glaze on our whisky jalapeno burger is incredible. Pendleton Whisky, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and sliced jalapeños cook down into a tangy BBQ sauce with a little kick. It’s sweet, smoky, and it has some actual backbone.
Second, these are smashed beef patties, so you get maximum crust. Thin patties on a screaming hot cast iron skillet give you lacy, crispy edges on every bite.
Third, the toppings for the Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger do real work. Crispy bacon, melted American cheese, and homemade onion rings stacked on a toasted bun. This is a proper western bacon cheeseburger.
Finally, it’s built for a crowd. Game days, backyard barbecues, a summer cookout, whatever you’ve got going. These juicy burgers disappear fast.
If you love burgers as much as I do, then check out my Smash Burgers and Birria Grilled Cheese Sandwiches next.
A Little Bit About Pendleton Whisky
Pendleton Whisky was created in 2003 to honor the Pendleton Round-Up and the cowboys and cowgirls who built it. It’s a Pacific Northwest brand through and through, and the company sends 20% of every Pendleton product sold back to the Round-Up itself.
That’s the good stuff right there. A whisky that actually funds the rodeo it’s named after.
In the glaze for the Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger, the whisky brings a warm vanilla and oak note that plays beautifully against the jalapeños. Additionally, a glass of it on the rocks next to this burger is never a bad call.
Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger Ingredients Round-Up
- Beef – One to two pounds of ground beef, American cheese slices, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. That last trio is your SPG.
- Whisky Jalapeno BBQ Glaze – White sugar, your favorite BBQ sauce, Pendleton Whisky, brown sugar, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
- Burgers – Bacon, burger buns, fried onion rings, and frying oil.
- To Finish – Mayonnaise and candied jalapenos. Both optional, both worth it.
A quick word on the beef. Ground chuck at 80/20 is my pick for smash burgers, because you need that fat for crust and flavor. Roll it into loose balls and leave them alone. Overworking the meat makes tough burgers.
On the cheese: American melts better than anything else, full stop. Cheddar cheese works if you want sharper flavor, but you’ll lose some of that glossy cheese melt.
For bacon, go thick cut. It holds up under a burger patty without turning to leather.
On the onion rings: a beer batter gives you that delicious crispy texture, and it’s worth the extra five minutes. You can also grab frozen rings and run them through an air fryer if you’re short on time. No judgment here.
Now that we have all the ingredients ready, let’s make the best Let’r Buck BBQ Western Burger you’ve ever made at home. Either skip straight to the recipe card below or take a ride with me through the easy steps.
How to Make a Western BBQ Burger
Fry the Onion Rings
Preheat your fire to medium-high heat, around 375-400 degrees F. Add a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over the fire with at least 2-3 inches of frying oil. Bring that oil up to 375 degrees F.
If you’re making homemade onion rings, whisk your beer batter in a large bowl and keep your dry flour in a separate bowl. Then dredge, dip, and drop.
Add the rings to the hot oil and fry gently until golden brown. Pull them out and let them drain on paper towels. Vegetable oil works fine here if you don’t have anything else.
Cook the Bacon
Reheat your fire to medium-high heat. Add a cast iron skillet or flat top grill over the flame.
First, lay your slices of bacon in the skillet. Cook them to your desired doneness, which for me means properly crispy bacon. Once done, pull the strips of bacon off and set them aside. Leave that rendered fat in the pan.
Smash the Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burger Patties
Now place patties, or rather burger balls, into the hot skillet. Season each one with SPG and let them crisp for 30 seconds.
Next, lay a piece of parchment over one burger ball. Press down firmly with a spatula until the beef patty is smashed flat against the skillet. Repeat for each one, then let them cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Carefully flip each burger over. Season this new side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then top each one with a slice of cheese and let it melt for a couple of minutes.
Once that cheese slice has gone fully molten, pull the cheeseburger patties off and let them rest.
Make the Glaze
In a skillet over medium heat, add all the glaze ingredients together. Simmer until warmed through and slightly thickened.
Give it a taste. If you want more heat, hot sauces are your friend here.
Build It
Start with your bottom buns. Add some BBQ sauce, then a few candied jalapeños. Next, stack on a single or double burger patty. After that, add your bacon slices and a few beer-battered onion rings. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, add a swipe of mayonnaise on the top bun, and close it up. A seeded bun is my preference, but any toasted bun will do. Serve with extra napkins, because this thing is a glorious mess. Serve and enjoy. Cheers!
Pro Tip: Get That Skillet Screaming
Smash burgers live and die on surface contact. Because the patties are so thin, there’s no time to build crust slowly. So let your cast iron skillet preheat for a solid five minutes before any beef touches it. You want it hot enough that the meat hisses the second it lands. Then press hard and press once. Pressing again after the crust forms just tears it. Additionally, don’t crowd the pan. Two or three patties at a time, max. Crowding drops the temperature, and you’ll end up steaming the beef instead of searing it.
What to Serve with BBQ Burgers
French fries are the obvious move, and they’re the right one. Potato salad, pasta salad, or baked beans round things out for a bigger spread. Keep some extra crispy onions in a small bowl on the side. Trust me, people will go back for them.
For drinks, a cold beer or a Pendleton Whisky on the rocks fits the theme perfectly.
Storage & Leftovers
Store leftover patties and bacon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the onion rings separate, since they’ll go soft next to anything moist.
To reheat, sear the patties quickly in a skillet over medium-high heat. An air fryer brings the onion rings and bacon back to life in about 4 minutes.
The glaze keeps for two weeks in the fridge.
More epic burger recipes!
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FAQs for Let’r Buck Western BBQ Burgers
A Let’r Buck BBQ Western Burger, sometimes called a cowboy burger, always has BBQ sauce, bacon, and onion rings. That combination is the whole signature. BBQ bacon western burgers lean sweet and smoky where a classic cheeseburger leans savory.
Sure. American gives you the best melted cheese texture, but cheddar cheese brings more sharpness and holds up well against the tangy BBQ sauce.
Drain them on paper towels and never cover them. Steam is the enemy of a crispy coating. If they soften up, a couple of minutes in an air fryer fixes it.
Nope. A flat top grill or a cast iron skillet on the stove works great for these beef patties. You’ll lose a little smoky flavor, but the burger still rips.
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Let’er Buck Burger
Ingredients
Beef:
- 1-2 lbs Ground Beef
- 6-8 slices American Cheese
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
Whisky Jalapeno BBQ Glaze:
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
- 2 oz Pendleton Whisky
- ¼ cup of Brown Sugar
- ⅛ cup Sliced Jalapenos
- 2 tbsp Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Burgers:
- 8-10 slices Bacon
- Burger Buns toasted
- Fried Onion Rings
- Frying Oil
Instructions
- Preheat your fire to a medium high temperature (around 375-400F). Add a deep dish cast iron skillet or dutch oven over the fire with at least 2-3” of frying oil in the cast iron. Bring the oil up to 375F.
- Add your onion rings to the oil and gently fry until golden brown. Pull off and let cool until done.
- Reheat your fire to a medium high temperature (around 375-400F). Add a cast iron skillet or flat skillet oven over the fire.
- First, add your bacon to the skillet and cook until they are done to your liking. Once done, pull them off and set aside.
- Next, add your burger balls to the skillet, season with SPG and let crisp up for 30 seconds. Next, place the parchment over one ball and then firmly press with the spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet. Repeat this for each burger and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip each burger over and then season the new side with salt, pepper and garlic. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and let melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull each burger off and rest.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the bbq sauce together and simmer until warm.
- Add some bbq sauce to the base burger bun, candied jalapenos and then add a single or double patty burger on top. Next, add the bacon slices, beer battered onion rings, drizzle of bbq sauce, mayonnaise and then the top bun. Serve and enjoy!
