Bacon in your beef? New takes on the classic American hamburger

Is the humble, American hamburger destined to stay forever the same - a simple beef patty on a bun with pickle, lettuce and tomato on top?

We think not. After all, we are a country of freedom-loving innovators and entrepreneurs, ready to reinvent ourselves and dream up everything from the self-cooking pan to the self-driving car,

As we are squarely in barbecue season, we have come up with a few revolutionary twists for the home-grilled hamburger that will anoint you the new king of the backyard cookout. Drum roll, please.

This year, the bacon cheeseburger was deemed the most popular burger in America by Schweid & Sons for the second year in a row. No surprise there. But did you know that you can now get your bacon fully integrated into your grass-fed beef patty?

At Thistle Meats in Petaluma, the butchers are feeding a demand for integrated bacon-beef patties that provide the best of both worlds: the flavor and health of grass-fed beef and the smoke and fat of ground bacon. Together, they create a moist, easy-to-eat burger that will drip down your chin, if not your arm.

“We have the ability to do different kinds of grinds, so we can grind a bacon burger ... and do 25 percent bacon,” said Travis Day, the new chef/owner of Thistle Meats, which carries only grass-fed meat. “It gives it more flavor and salt and that little smoky background, and it seasons it all the way through.”

For his bacon-burger patties, Day often blends the bacon with 65 percent beef brisket and 10 percent beef suet fat (located around the cow’s kidneys.)

“It has a good, beef flavor and it’s a soft fat, with a little bit more moisture and flavor,” Day said. “So it makes a nice, juicy burger.”

He also likes to serve it with an aioli made out of bacon fat, with the caveat: “Yes this is a fatty burger. People with a heart condition, please consult a physician before consuming.”

Day said he’s a big eater so he likes to make a burger patty that weighs 8 ounces, or about half a pound.

“I make it a half inch wider than the bun,” he said. “I don’t put the thumb imprint on top. ... when you don’t, the burger tends to plump and pull in, and it keeps the burger flatter.”

To cook the burger, Day heats up the grill to 400 or 425, then marks it on both sides for the char. Then he slides it over to the cooler part of the grill and lets it slowly come up to temperature for a couple of minutes, until the inside is warm but not overdone.

“That gives it a nice color on the outside,” he said. “Personally I like a medium-rare burger.”

Butchers tend to be purists when it comes to the burger “extras,” preferring brioche buns, some garlicky aioli and just a few condiments.

“As far as toppings, I don’t like a ton of stuff, but I do love a really nice, thick-cut tomato ... and I do like pickles,” Day said. “The whole point of a perfect burger is that you are tasting this amazing beef.”