These tasty Irish Burgers with bacon and cheese feature a palette of flavors inspired by Ireland. They’re one of my family’s favorite bacon sandwiches for dinner or lunch, and always fun to serve for St. Patrick’s Day.

When you hear the nickname St. Patty, do “pattys” of perfectly-cooked ground beef ever come to mind? Preferably topped with crispy bacon and melted cheese? I hear you!

Close up of just-cooked Irish Bacon Cheeseburger, resting on a crumpled sheet of parchment paper.

Why This Recipe Is Worth Making

This is one of our favorite bacon and beef recipes, and here’s why:

This monster burger features two quarter-pound “pattys,” plenty of crispy bacon, and melted Irish Kerrygold cheddar cheese on a toasted potato bun.

It’s topped with tender cabbage fried in a little of the bacon fat, and Emerald Island sauce (also known as Thousand Island dressing, the beloved condiment of Reuben sandwiches).

You will love this flavorful combination, and Irish eyes will be smiling when you make these special cheddar burgers topped with lots of crunchy BACON!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Real mayonnaise
Ketchup (or catsup)
Dill pickle relish
Potato buns, or your favorite hamburger buns
Butter
Thick cut bacon
1 pound ground beef
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 slices Irish cheddar cheese
Half a head of cabbage

Equipment Needed

You don’t need any fancy equipment to make these tasty cheeseburgers:

Small bowl and spoon to mix the sauce

Large skillet to fry the bacon and toast the buns

Tongs to lift the bacon from the pan

Grill or cast iron skillet to cook the burgers

Spatula to flip the burgers

Step by Step Directions

Making these cheesy Irish-themed hamburgers couldn’t be easier.

Begin by making the Emerald Island sauce with mayonnaise, ketchup and dill pickle relish. You can prepare it ahead of time if you like, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Thousand island dressing in a green bowl with a silver spoon.

Lightly butter your buns (ha) and toast them in a hot skillet.

Four toasted buns for irish bacon cheeseburgers.

Cook thick-sliced bacon in a hot skillet until browned and crispy. You can also cook bacon in the oven for this recipe.

5 strips of bacon cooking in a skillet for Irish burgers.

Drain the bacon on paper towels. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings, which you’ll use to cook the cabbage. (Don’t discard the precious bacon fat! Here’s what to do with bacon grease.)

Form the hamburger patties, making large burgers with 1/4 pound of ground beef for each patty. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Hamburger patties for Irish Bacon Cheeseburgers.

Cook the hamburger patties to the doneness of your choice. I used a cast iron skillet, but you can also cook them on the grill.

Hamburger patty cooking in a cast iron skillet.

During the last few minutes of cooking, top with a slice of Kerrygold Irish cheddar or your favorite cheese.

Irish cheddar slice on a hamburger patty cooking in a cast iron skillet.

Tear several large cabbage leaves in 3-inch pieces. Cook in a little of the hot bacon grease just until tender. Season with a little salt.

Cooking chopped cabbage in a hot skillet.

Assemble each burger as follows:

Spread the bottom bun with some of the Emerald Island sauce.
Top with two cheese-topped hamburger patties.
Break several slices of bacon in half and arrange on the hamburgers.
Top with the cabbage leaves.
Spread the top bun with some of the sauce and press on top.
Serve and enjoy!

A hand holding a just-cooked Irish Bacon Cheeseburger.

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Irish Burgers with Bacon and Cheese

Eliza Cross

This Irish Bacon Cheeseburger recipe features two all-beef patties, crispy bacon, Irish cheddar cheese, fried cabbage, toasted potato buns and special Emerald Island sauce.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Bacon Dinner Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 1524 kcal

Equipment

1 small bowl
1 Large skillet
1 pair tongs
grill or cast iron skillet
1 spatula

Ingredients

1/4 cup real mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
2 potato buns
4 teaspoons salted butter softened
5 slices thick cut bacon
1 pound ground beef
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 slices Irish cheddar cheese
4 cabbage leaves ribs removed, torn in 3-inch pieces

Instructions

In a small dish, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup and dill relish and stir until blended. Reserve (or refrigerate, covered, if making ahead).
Spread the butter on the cut sides of the buns. Heat a large skillet over a medium-high flame, add the buns butter side down, and cook until browned. Reserve.
Wipe out the skillet. Add the bacon strips and cook over medium-high heat, turning once, until browned and crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings; reserve.
Cook the hamburger patties in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, turning once, until cooked to desired doneness. (You can also grill the burgers to your liking.) Top with cheese slices during the last minute of cooking. Transfer to a plate and reserve.
Heat the reserved bacon drippings and cook the cabbage, stirring occasionally, just until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
To assemble the burgers, spread the bottom bun with some of the Emerald Island sauce. Top with two cheese-topped hamburger patties. Break the bacon slices in half and arrange 5 halves on each burger. Top with the cabbage leaves. Spread the top bun with some of the sauce and press gently on top. Eat and enjoy!

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Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1524kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 99gFat: 104gSaturated Fat: 39gPolyunsaturated Fat: 53gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 337mgSodium: 2037mgFiber: 9gSugar: 17g

Nutritional Information Disclosure

Keyword bacon cheeseburgers, bacon recipes, Irish burger

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Close up of Irish Burger with Bacon dripping sauce on a piece of parchment paper.

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