Bacon and Havarti Stuffed Barbecue Burgers ~ Succulent lean ground beef stuffed with bacon and havarti then smothered with tangy barbecue sauce.
Sometimes, it feels like winter can last for 9 months where I live in Northern Utah. It sounds like an exaggeration, and it probably is, but it’s how it feels to me. The sun can go away as early as September and not reappear until maybe May, even June. Other years we’re more traditional in our seasons–with winter only taking an extra month or two to pass on by. And maybe I still slightly exaggerate.
Despite my 15 years in Utah, my body has yet to fully acclimate to the weather here, it wishes for the sunniness of Southern California way too often. Sure, I am more durable in Winter now, particularly when I find myself in SoCal in their winter (I use that term VERY lightly) but the cold is still not my favorite.
I don’t ski, snowboard, or do much in the snow save making snowmen, angels, and sledding down the small hill across the street from my house. But the two things I still do in the winter are wear flip-flops in the snow (I know, I know and just briefly when I am running out and back in) and grill. And grilling means barbecue sauce!
My love of balsamic vinegar has been duly noted on my blog, but I’m not quite sure that my love of barbecue sauce has been equally noted. It is my condiment of choice. I still love ketchup and mustard like the rest, but you’d be utterly surprised (and probably equally appalled too) at some of the things I add barbecue sauce to. The hardest part for me with barbecue sauces has been finding those without high fructose corn syrup. Turns out I wasn’t alone.
Thank you Kraft for sponsoring this post. Grilling enthusiasts like me know that grilling is a year-round experience, and Kraft Barbecue Sauce helps me take my grilling to a new level of amazing.
Kraft Barbecue Sauce is celebrating the launch of a newly revamped line of sauces using high-quality ingredients like tomatoes, sweet molasses, cider vinegar, and cane sugar because consumers like me wanted quality ingredients without high fructose corn syrup.
I was set to host a large group of friends and there was no better time to try out this new line of Kraft Barbecue Sauces. When my guests were asking what they could bring, they weren’t too shocked to learn I planned to fire put the grill and make burgers.
The spread on the table looked like any typical summer outdoor barbecuing feast and even the sun cooperated. The morning started gray and dreary, honestly looking like it was going snow, but then the wind came through, blew the clouds away, and the sun shined high in the sky, although it forgot to bring its warming powers.
My best friend and I fired up the grill, dropped the burgers on and instead of retreating from the heat like we would in summer, we just kind of huddled near the grill to keep warm. The sun shine was a deception, the air was below freezing point.
Luckily, I had the Evergriller Grill ‘N’ Flip Mitt, which is a specially designed, fire-resistant grilling glove that protects the griller’s hands from both the heat of the grill and the chill of the outdoors during winter grilling season. The unique design of the top insert can hold many grill tools, making it easy to flip, stab, and baste with ease and precision. You can enter to win your own Evergriller Grill ‘N’ Flip Mitt by visiting GrillinFools.com between January 19 and January 30. The winner will be randomly selected at the close of the giveaway.
Instead of just grilling a standard burger, I decided to up my game by seasoning my lean ground beef with Kraft Original Barbecue sauce and some salt and pepper. The lean mean would be utterly moist due to the sauce. But since I can never leave well enough alone, I decided to stuff each burger with bacon crumbles and havarti cheese. Talk about crowd-pleasing!

Bacon and Havarti Stuffed Barbecue Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93%)
- 1/4 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
- 1/8 tsp . salt and pepper; to taste
- 4 slices bacon; cooked and crumbled
- 4 tbsp havarti cheese; grated
Instructions
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Cook and crumble the bacon.
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Grate the cheese.
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In a large bowl, mix the Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, salt, and pepper into the ground beef by hand.
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Once mixed, divide into four patties, about 4 oz. each.
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Flatten each patty and place one crumbled piece of bacon (it's about a tablespoon) and a tablespoon of havarti cheese in the center of the patty.
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Fold close and reshape into a sealed patty. (Step by step photographs provided below)
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On a heated grill, grill each patty for 8-10 or until cooked through, flipping once.
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Serve with more Kraft Original Barbecue sauce on top and your favorite burger accessories.

<p>I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and provided product samples by Kraft Foods, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
62 Comments
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
January 26, 2015 at 3:11 pmWe love both bacon and havarti here, so that sounds absolutely delicious to me! Krafts new line sounds interesting to me, because I often make my own barbeque sauce because of the high fructose corn syrup. Can’t wait for cookout time!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 3:43 pmI sampled all the new sauces with the havarti….it was a rough job, but so glad I go to do it. 🙂
Sharon (Nut Free Wok)
January 26, 2015 at 3:27 pmMichelle, I really love your step by step photos on how to stuff the cheese, great technique and photos. AND LOOKS YUM, WOW!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 3:45 pmThank you Sharon, I figured the photos were easier than me trying to type it all out.
betty
January 26, 2015 at 3:41 pmThis burger looks so good and easy to put together. I have always liked Kraft products so I am going to have to try this BBQ sauce.
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 3:45 pmThank you Betty! They are really taste. Original flavor worked best in this recipe, but I loved their sweet honey!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour)
January 26, 2015 at 5:04 pmThis is a burger straight from my dreams!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 6:23 pmThen you have seriously tasty dreams!
Dan from Platter Talk
January 26, 2015 at 5:44 pmWe love grilling burgers and especially Kraft barbecue sauce. This recipe will be one of the first to initiate our grill to the summer of 2015. Thanks for the terrific post!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 6:24 pmThank you Dan! Can’t wait for summer myself.
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets)
January 26, 2015 at 5:46 pmI love the surprise inside Michelle! Fabulous burger!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 6:24 pmThank you Sandi! Omit the bun and it’s GF!
Christina Lakey | Food Apparel
January 26, 2015 at 6:51 pmGrilling in the winter is perfectly acceptable.;) Love it!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 9:26 pmThank you Christina!
jamie
January 26, 2015 at 8:03 pmThat burger looks amazing
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 9:26 pmThank you Jamie!
Stephanie
January 26, 2015 at 9:26 pmThis burger looks so delicious and so easy to make!!! You’re such a talent Michelle!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 9:28 pmThank you Stephanie! The talent was taking pictures of the folding process while folding…
Ashley
January 26, 2015 at 9:44 pmIt looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it with the new BBQ sauce 🙂
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 9:44 pmThanks for stopping by Ashley, their new line of sauces are great.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
January 26, 2015 at 9:46 pmOh, yum! These look amazingly hearty and the fillings? Wow! I look forward to checking out the new sauces. (P.S. I love your step-by-step pix!)
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 10:56 pmThank you so much Patricia. They were so good, I ate a bit more than I should have, but no regrets.
Yvonne [Tried and Tasty]
January 26, 2015 at 10:03 pmI want to grill SO bad!!!! This looks delicious!
Michelle
January 26, 2015 at 10:57 pmThank you Yvonne! It was kind of fun grilling in frigid temps.
Britni
January 27, 2015 at 10:01 amYUM! Looks absolutely amazing.
Michelle
January 27, 2015 at 10:12 amThank you Britni
lizzy
January 27, 2015 at 10:57 amYOU HAD ME AT BACON!! Perfect timing for this recipe – I will def. try for super bowl weekend!
Michelle
January 27, 2015 at 11:17 amThank you Lizzy! Hope you all enjoy it.
Joy @ Joy Love Food
January 27, 2015 at 1:45 pmYum, these sound incredible! My grill in currently covered with about 2 feet of snow here in the Northeast, but once we shovel it out, I’ll have to give these a try! Love that these new Kraft BBQ sauces don’t contain high fructose corn syrup.
Michelle
January 27, 2015 at 5:44 pmHope your doing ok in the storm out that way. The new sauces are great.
Emily
January 27, 2015 at 7:56 pmlooks great! My boys love lots of sauces on their meat, so I’m sure they would love this. Burgers are always a hit around here too!!
Michelle
January 27, 2015 at 11:19 pmHope you all enjoy it!
Cassie Johnston
January 28, 2015 at 8:35 amI am ALWAYS game for a burger, especially stuffed. This ones sounds fantastic!
Michelle
January 28, 2015 at 2:53 pmThank you Cassie, they were sooooo good.
Mommy's Kitchen
January 28, 2015 at 1:10 pmThe picture make sit so mouth watering delicious.I have the flu and it still makes me hungry 🙂
Michelle
January 28, 2015 at 2:53 pmSorry you have the flu….I feel you there. Day 9 of whatever illness I have. Hope you can enjoy these when you are better. Get well soon.
Cathy @ Our Mini Family
January 29, 2015 at 7:43 amBBQ burgers are amazing any time of year, but I am especially stoked to give this a try when the spring rolls around and it’s warm enough to try on the grill outside!
Michelle
January 29, 2015 at 1:51 pmI understand waiting until it’s warmer to grill, but it wasn’t that bad considering the grill is like 500 degrees or so. Kept us toasty.
christine
January 29, 2015 at 8:13 amGreat looking burger. Unfortunately for me, my grill is currently under 23 inches of snow! Pinning for warmer weather!
Michelle
January 29, 2015 at 1:51 pmYikes, are you in the NE and attacked by Juno?
Brandy M.
January 29, 2015 at 8:36 amBurgers are on the menu almost weekly in our house and I’m always looking for ways to mix it up. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Michelle
January 29, 2015 at 1:49 pmI like your weekly menu. I love burgers…I could eat frequently.
Diane
January 29, 2015 at 11:12 amWe love stuffed burgers and yours look amazing. I am so ready for grilling season to start back up. These sauces sound great I’ll have to give them a try.
Michelle
January 29, 2015 at 1:46 pmThanks Diane, I love stuffed burgers too! Hope you can grill soon.
Jessica (Savory Experiments)
January 30, 2015 at 12:43 pmHeaven on a bun! These look great, good job!
Michelle
January 30, 2015 at 1:43 pmThank you Jessica!
Nicole
January 31, 2015 at 1:03 pmYum! This makes me wish for grilling season to hurry up and get here 🙂
Michelle
January 31, 2015 at 6:39 pmI know, I am already thinking of all the yumminess I want to grill up.
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor
January 31, 2015 at 3:42 pmThis is one of the best looking burgers I’ve ever seen!! YUM!
Michelle
January 31, 2015 at 6:39 pmThank you Kristi! It was YUM
Debra
February 2, 2015 at 9:42 amThis sounds amazing! I love stuffed burgers!
Michelle
February 2, 2015 at 10:49 amThank you Debra, it was really great. Enjoy.
Aimee @ Like mother like daughter
February 2, 2015 at 10:05 amThis looks so good. I love barbecue on my burgers the most!
Michelle
February 2, 2015 at 10:49 amSame here! Thanks so much for stopping by Aimee.
Healing Tomato
February 2, 2015 at 5:58 pmThis is a fun recipe and I love that BBQ sauce. I have actually used this sauce to marinate tofu in it, which just makes it taste so delightful.
Michelle
February 2, 2015 at 9:04 pmYou are so very clever, tofu! I need to work with this ingredient more.
Cathy
February 2, 2015 at 8:05 pmYum! Can’t wait to try on the grill once it warms up!
Michelle
February 2, 2015 at 9:04 pmThanks Cathy, hope you enjoy them once it’s warmer out.
Rachael
February 9, 2015 at 8:45 amOh wow, this looks awesome. Makes me reconsider packing the grill up for the winter.
Michelle
February 9, 2015 at 6:24 pmWe’re having such a mild winter, you can not only grill but probably wear shorts.
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