Welcome to this week’s edition of College Cooking! Recipes that our (over 21 aged) college kids will love to recreate and eat!

It all started with a TikTok video early this yesterday morning. Not my video. It was from ChefClub. It was one of those videos where you watch entirely too long, knowing full well it’s not going to end well. And it didn’t. But the concept stuck!

The guy in the video poured Jack Daniel’s whiskey into muffin tin cups, topped them with water and froze them.

It’s this next part that stuck.

Once frozen he popped out the whiskey ice cubes and pressed them into the center of burger patties. As he grilled the burgers on the flat top, the ice melted creating steam….which on its own is an acceptable cooking method.

I had to know.

I was the first one through the door at the liquor store – sure, it felt a little strange walking out with a bottle of JD at 9:00 am. Hey, girl on a mission!

Let’s talk Whiskey for a minute. Or is it Whisky? I kept second guessing myself on the spelling so I looked it up. Apparently the spelling of said grain spirit is entirely based on the country of origin. If it’s made in Ireland or the USA it’s Whiskey we an ‘e’. If it’s distilled in Canada, Scotland or Japan drop that ‘e’ and pour yourself a glass of Whisky!

A whiskey infused burger sounded pretty darn good, but I couldn’t get my head around infusing with water. So this is where I changed the ChefClub method and I used Coke instead. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey & Coke. A well documented finely matched pair.

The Preparation

I decided to prepare these Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburgers two ways. One closely resembling the video I fell pray to. A whiskey ice cubed pressed into the raw burger patty then pan grilled.

The other, a bit more conventional but with the same flavor profile. Add the whiskey & coke directly to the ground beef, then make into patties and pan grill.

The Results

I topped our burgers with Caramelized Onions, Smoked Gouda cheese, Million Dollar Bacon, and Whiskey Mayo.

Here are the results!

Both burgers were very juicy and the toppings were perfectly matched. However, according to our highly skilled taste-testers the burgers with the Jack Daniel’s & Coke put right into the ground beef had a superior flavor profile.

So in the end, while making Jack & Coke ice cubes was fun and certainly grabbed my attention, they are not necessary.

These burgers are really good. A perfect addition to any Game Day spread!

The gentle whiskey aroma is front and center, some from the burger and some from the whiskey mayo. The caramelized onions add a wonderful layer of flavor, as does the smoky gruyere cheese. And let us not forget the million dollar bacon. Baby!

I even made a gluten free version using our new favorite sweet potato ‘buns’.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. I’d love for you to share your feedback in the comments below!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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The Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburger

According to our highly skilled taste-testers the burgers with the Jack Daniel's & Coke put right into the ground beef had a superior flavor profile and paired perfectly with the toppings.

Course Burger

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Caramelized Onions & Million Dollar Bacon 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniel's Whiskey can sub coke
• 2 Tablespoons Coke
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter for pan frying

For the Whiskey Mayo

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon Jack Daniel's Whiskey can sub coke

For the Toppings

• 4 burger buns lightly toasted
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions (1 large sweet onion) see recipe link in post
• 3 ounces smoked gruyere cheese shredded
• 4 strips Million Dollar Bacon see recipe link in post

Instructions

For the Burgers

• Combine burger ingredients (except butter) and form into 4 bun sized patties. Pan fry in butter until deeply caramelized on each side.

  Note: When pan frying or frying on a flat top grill I like to add a little water to the hot pan and cover the burgers at the end to let them steam a bit.
• Top with caramelized onion and shredded gruyere cheese. Cook to desired doneness.

To Build the Burgers

• Lightly toast the burger buns. Whisk together whiskey mayo ingredients. Slather a spoonful on bottom side of each burger bun. Top with cooked burger with onions and cheese. Finish with a slice of million dollar bacon and top bun.

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