Tri Tip Hamburgers with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
As is common for most people who grew up or have lived in California, Tri Tip (click here for Wikipedia description) is a favorite grilling meat of mine. Traditionally this sirloin cut of meat is seasoned with either a dry rub or marinate, then slowly cooked to perfection on the grill. But for as much as I enjoy this particular cut of meat, one of my best friends is slightly obsessed with it and freely labels any delicious Tri Tip he samples as “Outstanding.”
Hence the last time I crashed at his house, I decided to prepare Tri Tip for dinner…a Tri Tip like he had never had before.
My gluttonous mind had presented me with the slightly out of bounds idea of using ground Tri Tip to make hamburgers, though there was a serious concern that since the meat is usually leanly cut there wouldn’t be enough fat to create a balanced burger. A short conversation with the local butcher alleviated my apprehension and I had him grind up healthy sized Tri Tip from the case.
I wanted simple flavors for this burger, so that nothing would impede our taste buds from enjoying the uniqueness of the meat in hamburger patty form. Therefore, I settled on the combination of beer caramelized onions, the delicious flavor of Black Forest bacon from Whole Foods, and Swiss cheese, served on brioche buns. The meat itself was only seasoned with salt and pepper.
As it turned out the burgers were up to snuff and proclaimed beyond “Outstanding.” The combination of flavors was absolutely perfect and no additional condiments were needed to satisfy one’s palate.
Note: When preparing the burgers please be sure to follow the steps provide below, which includes quickly freezing the patties to insure the meat is properly cooked.
Enjoy!
The Necessities:
- 1.5-2 lbs of freshly ground Tri Tip (makes 3-4 patties)
- 1 large yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 6-8 slices of Black Forest Bacon from Whole Foods (or whatever is available)
- Brioche hamburger buns
- Swiss cheese slices
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1/3-1/2 bottle of Lagunitas “The Censored” Rich Copper Ale (click here for Thirsty Thursday review)
The Directions:
- Pour one tablespoon or so of olive oil into a frying pan over medium-low heat. Toss in the onions, season with salt and pepper.
- Caramelizing onions take upwards of 30-45 minutes and a ton of TLC. Continually stir the onions every few minutes and gradually add small amounts of beer, allowing the beer to cook off before adding the next dose.
- The onions are done cooking when they look similar to above and of course pass your taste test. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook up your bacon over medium heat in a frying pan to the desired doneness. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Turn your attention to the lean ground tri tip. Toss the meat in a bowl, generously season with salt and pepper, and thoroughly mix with your hands.
- Form the desired sized patties…I made 4 from 1.78 pounds of meat. Plate the patties and place into the freezer for at least 10 but no longer than 15 minutes.
- While the patties are in the freezer, set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. Lightly oil the grill grate with a paper towel or cloth.
- Remove the patties from the freezer and toss em directly on the grill.
- Do Not leave these burgers unattended. Cooking times will vary depending on burger thickness, but they cook quickly. A rough guideline is 4 minutes per side, with a quarter rotation half way through to get your grill marks.
- If you like, be sure to slice and toast the brioche buns on the grill and of course top each patty with a slice of cheese during the final minutes of cooking.
- Slip a cheese covered patty into a bun, top with a healthy helping of caramelized onions, two strips of bacon and you’re good to go. And remember condiments are not needed on this burger and will probably do more harm than good. Enjoy!
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That’s one awesome looking burger!
This is AMAZING! I love this idea! Nicely done!
A resounding YES! Apart from filet or T-bone, tri-tip is our favorite cut of the cow, hands down. Yes, we lived in CA for 8 years where we discovered it and are delighted it has made its way as far as the Midwest now. Never thought to make it into a burger … the caramelized onions are another YES, and the bacon from Whole Foods, HECK YES! You’ve got a winner with this one.
Thanks Judy and the burger was just as good as your excitement for it!
WOW, now that’s a burger, Jed. And I love it rare like that, but will seldom have it prepared that way because I don’t trust that the meat is fresh enough! In fact, in most restaurants in Canada you can’t even order it that way unless the restaurant grinds the meat in-house (CFIA rules) http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/consumer-centre/food-safety-tips/food-thermometer/eng/1326994984756/1326995100600; If it’s not 71°F, it’s not done! Caramelized onions and brioche bun have to be the best combo with a burger. I can certainly see why your friend would say ‘outstanding’!
Why do you freeze the burger? I’ve never heard of that before.
71 degrees? Wow I didn’t know and I might have to reconsider any thoughts about ever moving to Canada.
The reason for freezing the burger is to assist with evenly cooking the burger, Otherwise it would cook so quickly you wouldn’t be able to get grill marks on the outside. It was recommended to me for using the Tri Tip and it worked perfectly.
That cooking method is very interesting Jed! As FYI, most of the great restaurants actually do grind their own meat, so you need not worry (I eat steak tartar all the time and have NEVER had ill effects). It’s just the Roadhouses that don’t. Please don’t reconsider a move to Canada, I can vouch that it is a fantastic country with exceptional people! Questionable government, but then who doesn’t have that?!?!?!
My mouth is watering, and now I am starving! Looks great!
That is one mean-looking burger, Jed! I’d surely love one for lunch today, to be sure. What’s this? No meat grinder? Say it ain’t so, my Gluttonous Friend! With one, you’ll have greater control over your ingredients and your recipes will greatly benefit. You’ll never buy ground anything again.
Never fear my friend, as there is a meat grinder at home. This delish dish was made in a kitchen where the needed tools to were lacking.
BTW- according to Cooks Illustrated, you can “grind” beef in a food processor so long as the meat is slightly frozen (not soft) when you begin. I haven’t tried it myself, but CI is a pretty reliable source for tested recipes.
I hope you feel thoroughly ashamed of yourself for almost reducing me to tears with longing for this burger
Honestly, there are so many things that I crave that I can´t get here but can cobble them together somehow. This is not one of them so I try ever so hard not to think about juicy burgers cooked to perfection. And then I clicked onto your blog and you taunt me with this fabulous recipe. Honestly, I´m feeling really rather upset so am off to have a glass of wine to console myself 
I hope the wine assisted in alleviating your pain, if not I’ll send a bottle ASAP.
I’m not sure if Wiki is correct but it does state the tri tip is available in Spain but known as “rabillo de cadera.” so perhaps there is a chance you can make this after all?
Never heard of that Tri-Tip meat before.. but ofcourse.. I’m Greek haha, I’ll see if I can find it, this burger makes me drool..
As my wife says…you’ll either love tri tip or simply enjoy it.
Oh la la – now this is one serious burger! I can almost taste it!
Mandy
Freezing is an extraordinary tip! Thank you! I love your hamburger because of so many reasons…. caramelised onions, bacon, lean meat… and most of all you season the meat with salt and pepper. I hate unseasoned hamburgers! (I mean the ground meat mixture). Brioche bun sounds very unusual and is definitely worth trying!
If the meat is good then there should be no reason to over season anything.
I just meant salt and a bit of pepper. I have recently had a nauseous hamburger with not a single grain of salt. It was awful! When I make hamburgers I always put salt and pepper in the meat mixture.
That is one “outstanding” burger!! Beer caramalized onions?? once again, I am not a beer drinker, but I am going to make those!! Freezing the burgers is an interesting tip I’m going to try as well. All around, a fabulous recipe!! Maybe you can crash by and whip this up for me!
Thanks Linda. I’m not sure how freezing the burgers will work on regular ground beef or lamb, etc (I’ve never tried it), but it worked brilliantly for the tri tip.
Next time I’m in Florida I might just be a crasher…if only I can have some of your biscotti.
OK I give in! i am passing this along to the burger maker! c
WOW, this burger is just spectacular. I don’t have my own grinder yet (I need to get one of those ones that attaches to the KitchenAid) but I really need to get one and try this (LOL I accidentally typed “I need to tri this” at first HAHAAHHA….okay, I’m done cracking myself up now).
LOL. I’m usually the one cracking themselves up.
I want!
What a spectacular looking burger…and with bacon and beer caramelized onions on brioche buns, mmmm. That is decadent…in a great way. Never tried a tri-tip burger but it sure is on the list now!
It is all those special extras that turned this burger into something awesome! When I was little I ordered my first McDonalds hamburger with nothing on it but bread-pretty gross and boring. I still wonder how they are even in business, especially when spectacular homemade burgers like this exist. Being lazy and not cooking does have its downfall.
Great info on using tri tip!
Thanks Tina!
I love me some caramelized onions, I truly do. And bacon; well who would even turn their nose up at the ultimate food candy. I was actually most interested in how you dealt with the meat itself. Salt and pepper is perfect. If it’s good meat and cooked well, it needs nothing more. My invite must have been lost in the mail.
100% agree with that good meat requires very little seasoning. Don’t cover-up the natural flavors! You didn’t receive the invite?? Man the postal service is slacking.
Oh wow that looks tasty!
We love burgers here, and this looks like the ultimate version…the tri-tip, the caramelized onions, the bacon, and on and on. Just outstanding!
Hi There! Thank you so much for coming to visit my blog! Nice to meet you.
These burgers look completely “out of bounds” as Guy would say on Triple D. WOW!
It’s nice to meet you as well and thanks for stopping by and checking out the site. And yes I think Guy might have said exactly that after eating this burger.
cheers!
Oh this looks wonderful! I never thought of using tri-tip, I love that idea! My Husband would too!! Haven’t had a good tri-tip in a long time. I love how thin you cut the onions, your burger looks delicious! Now I want a burger, can you deliver me yours?
Thanks Jennifer and thanks for taking the time to visit my site. cheers!
That’s one delicious looking burger. I’m going to have to try this one out sometime over the summer.
WOW! Looks soo good!
Wow that burger looks good! Seeing/getting a burger cooked to my liking is really rare, no pun intended
I hate when people overcook their burgers!
Over cooking burgers should be a crime.
OMG that looks incredible!
Thats what all burgers should look like!
[...] Caramelized Onions (click here for recipe/how to) [...]
[...] throughout the year. One such recipe stood out head and shoulders above the rest for me; the Tri Tip hamburgers w/ Bacon & Caramelized Onions. I must say, the taste of the caramelized onions was unbelievable and complimented the Tri Tip [...]
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