Sweet Bacon Jam & Corn Relish Burgers

All the flavors of a Midwest Summer in a burger!

These Sweet Bacon Jam & Corn Relish Burgers are a hot ticket item for Summer grilling.

This post is sponsored by the Iowa Beef Council.

May is National Burger Month and it is the perfect month for it! We are kicking off the Summer grilling season today with this Midwest inspired burger. Everything that screams the heartland can be found in this delicious burger.

With three kids and a hungry husband burgers are served a lot at our house during the warm weather months. They are easy to put together and throw on the grill for quick dinners. There are 101 million burger recipes out there {here are a list of some great ones}, but honestly this one that the Iowa Beef Council and I dreamed up is TOP NOTCH.

You guys, it's really special.

When you think Iowa you think beef, corn and bacon. We have a lot of all three! Originally we even toyed with calling these Iowa Burgers as they are just filled to the brim with ingredients found out our back door.

But after we took a deeper dive into the TASTY toppings, we both knew we had to give them a descriptive and mouthwatering title.

Sweet Bacon Jam & Corn Relish Burgers.

Grilling burgers are easy, but there are a few tips that will make them GREAT.

First, use a gentle touch with ground beef. Overmixing them will result in a "too firm" texture, instead of soft and tender. Second, use a spatula when flipping on the grill and never press down on them - you'll lose all their juice! And third, ground beef should be cooked to 160 degrees. Using an internal thermometer will help to determine if they are done. Generally, for a normal-sized burger, 10 minutes a side is perfect.

If you follow these easy rules you'll be set!

Wanna chat toppings?

BACON JAM. It's a beauty of a burger topping. It's a sweet combo of onion, salt, bacon, brown sugar and vinegar. It cooks low and slow {don't rush it} and in the end is both sweet and savory with the consistency of a rough jam.

CORN RELISH. Another beautiful burger topping. Yes, corn on a burger is a thing! Unlike the jam, this relish comes together in just a few minutes. Corn, tomato, feta cheese, vinegar and seasonings. The longer it sits the better it tastes.

Put these two beauties together and they compliment each other greatly.

I mean, just look at these burgers. If you bring a platter of them to the table your crowd will be all smiles. One bite in and they'll be sold.

Both toppings will make extra - the bacon jam and the corn relish - and both keep well in the fridge after. The bacon jam will stay in the fridge for up to 4 weeks and the corn relish for 2-3 days. Top the extras on sandwiches, leftover burgers or salads.

The Iowa Beef Council just recently announced Iowa's Best Burger.  The contest was held across the state and over many weeks and the tallying of many, many votes they narrowed it down to ten restaurants {one being in the town where I live!}.

The big winner was Bambino's in Ossian, Iowa. Take a peek at their burger HERE. 

It's such a fun contest that finds hidden gems along back roads and mainstay travels. Some people even travel the trail and check out them all!

I cannot wait to see you make these burgers!

They are a big bite of the Midwest - full of delicious Iowa beef, bacon, corn and more. Putting all of that together was one of my best ideas to date. My whole family worshipped them. 

When you grill them up be sure to snap a photo and share them with us! Tag us at {@sweetsavoryeats and @iowabeefcouncil} and we will share the love. 

A big, beautiful thank you to the Iowa Beef Council for sponsoring this post.

Sweet Bacon Jam & Corn Relish Burgers

Yield: 4

Author: Ally

Prep time: 1 H & 50 MCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 2 H & 10 M

All the flavors of a Midwest burger in this one! This perfectly grilled burger is topped with a sweetened bacon jam and a fresh Summer corn relish. Mouthwatering in every bite.

Ingredients

For the Sweet Bacon Jam

• 2 small onions, diced
• 1/2 lb bacon, chopped in small pieces
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Heat a rimmed skillet to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
2. Dice the onions and add them and the salt to the warm pan. Start to saute letting them get translucent about 10 minutes.
3. After they are cooked, add in the chopped bacon and continue to cook until the bacon is just slightly crispy, usually another 10 minutes.
4. Once the onions and bacon are cooked add in the remaining ingredients - rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and water. Bring this up to a boil. Once boiling, then bring back down to a simmer. Continue to stir the bacon jam until it reduces down and looks a bit syrupy. If looking dry, feel free to add additional water or brown sugar. This can take up to another 30 minutes to reduce.
5. Set aside or keep on warm until the burgers are ready. Leftover jam can stay in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

For the Corn Relish

1. 1 cup frozen or fresh corn
2. 1 tomato, finely chopped
3. 1/2 cup feta cheese
4. 1 T rice wine vinegar
5. 1/4 t garlic salt
6. 1/2 t salt
7. 1/2 t pepper

1. In a bowl combine all of the corn relish ingredients and stir. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This relish will stay fresh for 2-3 days in the fridge.

For the Burgers

1. 1 lb ground beef
2. 3 T worcestershire sauce
3. 1/8 cup steak sauce (A-1 or Heinz 57 works well)

1. In a bowl gently combine the ground beef, worcestershire sauce and steak sauce. Form into four patties, place them on a plate and place them in the freezer for 1 hour to firm up before grilling.
2. About 15 minutes before grilling remove them from the freezer and set out at room temperature.
3. Heat your grill to medium/high heat (around 400 degrees). Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Flip the burgers, top with some of the bacon jam and cook an additional 10 minutes on the other side.
4. Remove the burgers from the grill. Immediately place on a bun and top with the fresh corn relish.
5. Feel free to add any additional condiments or toppings you enjoy on your burger. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

336.44

Fat (grams)

19.95

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.79

Carbs (grams)

18.78

Fiber (grams)

0.42

Net carbs

18.36

Sugar (grams)

16.03

Protein (grams)

19.66

Sodium (milligrams)

1542.55

Cholesterol (grams)

56.13

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sweetsavoryeats on instagram and hashtag it #sweetbaconjamcornrelishburgers

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