Not your average burger! Juicy beef burgers seasoned with a spiced coffee rub, topped with peppered bacon and a lip smacking Dr Pepper BBQ sauce!
These coffee rubbed, savory Angus beef burgers, rubbed with a rich and flavorful coffee seasoning mix, paired with peppered bacon and a completely delicious homemade Dr Pepper BBQ sauce! You’ll be putting that sauce on everything!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Dr Pepper. All opinions are my own.
Sometimes… you just need a big, juicy, flavorful burger!! Especially one like this… that coffee rub is crazy good, and then the Dr Pepper BBQ sauce… o. m. g. There’s coffee in the rub and a little bit in the sauce… sooooo does that mean that I can technically call this a breakfast food? I say, sure! Because once you taste this burger, you’re going to want it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and maybe in the middle of the night 😉
These burgers are great anytime, for any occasion, but they’re especially perfect for tailgating or a tailgate-themed party while you watch some great college football! To me, Fall means football… and football means tailgating food. I grew up watching football with my Dad, cheering on our favorite team… so football is nostalgic for me, and I look forward to sharing those experiences with my own kids as they grow up 🙂
If you’re taking these burgers to the stadium for some tailgating, you could easily make these into slider-size burgers if you’d like. I just like a BIG burger 🙂
The other thing I love about these burgers is that most of the parts can be made up ahead of time. The coffee rub can be made and kept in an airtight container, the BBQ sauce can be made and refrigerated, and the meat can be made into patties and kept refrigerated until time to season and cook them. Talk about huge time savers!
Let’s talk sauce… this homemade BBQ sauce will soon be your new favorite! It has all the usual suspects for a BBQ sauce… the ketchup, onion, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar… with some additional surprises, like brewed coffee and Dr Pepper!! Don’t worry, the Dr Pepper doesn’t overpower this sauce… you don’t taste it and think, “wow, Dr Pepper!”, but it’s more of a subtle kiss of flavor that lingers on your tongue. The coffee just deepens the flavor.
I love using Angus beef or ground brisket for my burgers, but feel free to swap that out for your favorite 🙂
You know how I am with bacon… I pretty much put it on everything lol… but on this burger… the peppered bacon is pretty much a must!
Yeahhhhh, that burger didn’t last very long after I took this photo… nom nom nom!!!
See, there’s the first bite! Lol.
Enjoy!!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- COFFEE RUB SEASONING MIX:
- 1.5 Tbsp ground coffee
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/4 Tbsp coriander
- DR PEPPER BBQ SAUCE:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic roughly minced
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 6 oz Dr Pepper
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 Tbsp brewed coffee
- BURGERS:
- 2 lbs Angus ground beef 85/15
- 2 Tbsp Dr Pepper BBQ sauce
- salt and pepper
- Pretzel buns
- Arugula lettuce
- 8 slices peppered bacon
- 2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Combine coffee rub seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a fork. Set aside.
- Melt butter over MED heat in a saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients, stir to combine. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
- Pour sauce into blender or food processor and puree. Set aside to cool.
- To a mixing bowl, add ground beef, salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp cooled bbq sauce. Mix well with your hands. Divide into 4 equal sections. Each burger will be 1/2 pound.
- Rub coffee rub seasoning mix over both sides of each burger.
- Heat a large skillet over MED-HIGH heat, add a small pat of butter and toast the pretzel buns (sliced side down). Remove from pan to cool.
- Add 1 Tbsp butter to skillet and add burgers. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, until burger is cooked to desired doneness.
- Spread BBQ sauce over both sides of pretzel bun, layer arugula, burger, peppered bacon, then add the top bun.
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Erika Speelman says
This burger is off-the-hook good. OMG!!! My husband and I do a different burger for college game day (Go Blue😉) and the best burger gets made again for the Bowl game. Needless to say, this was the first burger of the season and we’ve already declared it the winner!!!!
Kim says
Absolutely Awesome!!! I have made them 4 times now !!! The sauce is delicious, everything about these burgers is delicious.
Crystal J Early says
Forgot to ask, what would be a perfect side to go with this perfect burger.
The Chunky Chef says
French fries, potato salad, macaroni salad, pretty much anything 🙂
Crystal J Early says
I made these delicious burgers for my birthday last year and will make them again for a pre cruise party. Everyone loved them and I can’t wait to make them again. The sauce is to die for. I found slider pretzel buns and they were perfect because I will also be serving another sandwich type. Don’t become discouraged by the lengthy amount of ingredients; you’ll be glad you made them.
Julie says
Grilled these burgers on a charcoal grill and they turned out delicious! No complaints from my picky eater, my boys went back for seconds, and my only complaint was I should’ve brushed the amazing sauce on the burgers while they were on the grill!! For the sauce, I used an immersion blender. I plan to try this sauce on other meats, drum sticks tonight!!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
Brittany says
My entire family loved it. Thanks!
Kathy Gallo says
I made these coffee rubbed burgers for our Christmas Eve gathering and they were a big hit!
I am certainly going to make them again!
Karen K says
One question, regular ground coffee not instant coffee, correct? Thiis burger looks absolutely scrumptious. I’ll be making very, very soon.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Karen 🙂 Any ground coffee should work… I usually cut open a k-cup and use that 🙂
Christina says
I made up my own burger recipe. A western beer burger. Its my guys’ favorite. But he said is pretty close.
I agree. This is possibly one of the best burgers ive ever had. I threw on some sharp cheddar.
The bbq wasnt very thick. Just added more tomato paste. I froze the rest for future. This sauce would be amazing in ANYTHING
Randi says
I am making these burgers as we speak. The BBQ sauce is amazing! I am going to jar the rest of the sauce! How long do you think it will keep?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you love the sauce! Ours never lasts long, but I would think if you kept it sealed, it should last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator 🙂
Karyl Henry says
I’m not even hungry right now and this is making my mouth absolutely water!!! Looks amazing
Loraleigh says
OOOOO.MMMMMM.GGG. This recipe right here s the absolute best burger on Pinterest! BAR NONE!!! We didn’t have the coriander and we always use Sweet Baby Ray bbq sauce but this was soooo delicious! Yep I’m definitely making this one again, many times over!
Julie says
These burgers sound so good! I’m sharing this post on my blog at Heart Loves Home this week. I’m writing about creative ways to use coffee.
Kris says
Made these tonight and they were outstanding. I made brioche buns in lieu of pretzel buns but absolutely fantastic. Hubs said these could have only been improved if I had added crispy onion strings (will be trying that next time lol). Thank you for a killer recipe!!!!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Kris 🙂 I’m SO happy to hear that you both loved them!! The crispy onion strings would be a perfect addition!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
I’ll have to try this rub on some other stuff. Looks good!