Memorial Day is right around the corner, so I think it’s the perfect time to share this exclusive recipe for my BLTA Burger with Special Sauce from page 172 in my cookbook Celebrations. This recipe takes your standard BLT sandwich up a few notches by adding a juicy grass-fed burger, a special tangy sauce, grilled tomatoes, and creamy avocados.
The burger patty recipe for these has become our go-to burger and a staple in our house throughout the year. But the must-have component in this recipe is definitely the sauce! It consists of mayo, ketchup, pickles, and vinegar, which may sound off-putting, but trust me that it all comes together to make for a mouth-watering addition to your burger.
I created the recipes for Celebrations with holidays and gatherings in mind – it contains some of my all-time favorite summer recipes such as this BLTA Burger and my Tri-Tip with Grilled Vegetables from p. 127. However, I’m known to make these recipes year-round! They are ideal for any occasion, are always a crowd-pleaser, and should definitely make an appearance during your barbecues and gatherings this season.
Prepping and Freezing
I am always on the lookout for ways to limit your time in the kitchen and maximize your prep times. You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. The sauce is incredibly simple to throw together, and prepping it ahead of time makes for one less thing to worry about on a busy weeknight or when you have guests over.
Every time I make these burgers, I double the recipe and freeze half of the patties uncooked. You can form the patties and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper between the layers. Cover them tightly and refrigerate them for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 6 months. You can defrost them in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before throwing them on the grill.
The Buns
You can serve this burger in a variety of ways. I absolutely love and recommend using my Cheddar Biscuits for a delicious cheesy addition. If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can use my Grain-free Hamburger Buns. For ease and accessibility, I will serve Ryan and the kids Canyon Bakehouse Hamburger buns. They can tolerate grains, so when I don’t have my biscuits or hamburger buns on hand I will lightly toast these already made buns for them. To keep it 100% paleo-friendly, you can serve in a lettuce wrap or in collard greens.
I hope you love this recipe! If you are looking for more Memorial Day and summer recipes, below are some of my favorites!
Wild Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
Knife and Fork Pork Ribs
Watermelon Margaritas
Skillet Spiced Roasted Chicken with Summer Fruits
Baked ‘Beans’- page 128 in Celebrations
Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil Salad- page 168 in Celebrations
Blackened Salmon with Stone-Fruit Salsa- page 177 in Celebrations
Grilled Shrimp Summer Harvest Salad with Basil Vinaigrette- page 155 in Eat What You Love
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BLTA Burger with Special Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Special Sauce
- 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup*
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill pickles*
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Burgers
- 3 pounds ground grass-fed beef
- 1⁄4 cup grated yellow onion
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
BLTA salsa
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 poppy seed hamburger buns or lettuce, for serving*
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
Instructions
- To make the special sauce, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and vinegar in a bowl and mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
- To make the burgers, gently mix together the beef, onion, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to loosely form eight 3-inch patties. Preheat a grill for indirect-heat cooking to medium-high heat.
- To make the BLTA salsa, in a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat, flipping the bacon once, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on a plate lined with a paper towel. Combine the tomatoes and avocados in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dice the bacon and add it to the bowl.
- Sear the patties over direct heat for 2 minutes on each side. Move the patties to indirect heat as far from the coals or gas jets as possible and cook for 5 minutes more per side, or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F for medium doneness. Remove the burgers from the grill and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Serve each burger on a bun with the BLTA salsa, shredded lettuce, and special sauce.
Notes
- Omit for Whole30, or use sugar-free ketchup and pickles and wrap burger in lettuce instead of a bun
5/20/22
BLTA Burger with Special Sauce
Definitely making these ASAP. Thanks! (Tomatoes may need to be added to the ingredient list for the salsa.)
Enjoy!!
Hello!
I am wondering what buns you used for your photos here? Are they the hamburger buns you have linked with poppy seeds on top? I’m just wondering because they look delicious with the burger! I just looked at your hamburger bun recipe and I’m excited to try it! I have tried a recipe from one of your cookbooks which was SOO good but totally fell apart when I ate the burger! Excited for something that holds up better! I have made your blender cashew waffles and they are also STELLAR so I imagine a burger bun with cashews in it will be amazing!
Hi! The bun used in this image is from my cookbook Celebrations! You can find the full recipe for poppy seed hamburger buns on p. 330.