Wendy's Baconator Copycat Recipe

Sometimes you crave kale and quinoa. Sometimes you want fresh fruit. Other times a lean piece of salmon served with greens and barley sounds divine. Other times, though, let's be honest: you want a mighty stack of meat and cheese that is the Wendy's Baconator burger and a side of fries for good measure. Why not save a bit of time and a few bucks by satisfying that mighty craving by making this all-American classic burger in the comfort of your own kitchen?

"This [recipe] is super easy," says chef and recipe developer Jason Goldstein of Chop Happy, adding, "If you [did a] blind taste test this would be super close for sure." You only need a few basic ingredients to make this beloved behemoth of a sandwich, and the cooking is indeed pretty much foolproof. All that said, let's remember that a Baconator should be a treat, not a daily meal; using Wendy's own stats, the burger contains an average of about 960 calories, 66 grams of fat (including 26 grams of saturated fat) and 1,540 milligrams of sodium. But hey, it also delivers 57 grams of protein, which is a good portion of the daily needed value for most adults, according to Harvard Health Publishing!

Now remember folks, the recipe here calls for ingredients needed to make two copycat Baconators, not one, so don't accidentally make a super burger! And do cut everything in half if you're making a lunch or dinner for one person. What you'll need is 1 pound of ground beef (ideally an 80/20 blend to make the best comparison to Wendy's actual burger), salt and pepper, garlic powder, 8 bacon strips bacon (cooked and cut in half), 4 slices of American cheese, 2 hamburger buns, ketchup, and mayo.

As for serving ideas? Goldstein says: "The perfect pairing is crispy salty fries and a burger's 'fine wine': soda!"

First off, cook the bacon so it's at the ready for later. You can do that by laying out all 8 pieces on a sheet tray and baking it (try 450 degrees for 10 minutes), by pan frying it, or by cooking the bacon in the microwave. Then cut the pieces of bacon (AKA rashers) in half to make approximately 3-inch strips.

Next, divide the pound of meat into 4 equal quarter-pound portions, then shape each portion into a square patty that's slightly bigger than the burger bun, thus to mimic that classic Wendy's beef patty shape.

Now add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to both sides of each of the patties.

Heat up a nonstick pan or lightly grease a regular skillet or griddle, and then cook the patties for 2 minutes on both sides on high heat. Goldstein says to be sure you "turn the heat all the way up so you get a quick sear on the beef. If you cook at too low of a temperature, it [may be] cooked unevenly."

You want the patties well done, so they should hit 160 degrees internally right before you take them away from the heat. And apply the cheese before you do that, but be aware that Goldstein warns against "over melting the cheese," advising you to "place slices of cheese on the burger 30 seconds before [you] take burger off the heat. It will melt perfectly."

To build the burger, place the first patty with melted cheese on a bottom bun. Add 2 pieces of the cut bacon side-by-side facing one direction, and then 2 pieces facing the other way atop them to form a lattice-like structure. Now add the second patty atop the bacon, then stack 4 more pieces of bacon over the patty in the same lattice orientation.

Next, add 1 tablespoon each of ketchup and mayo to the top bun and then place the bun on top of stacked burger. Repeat the build steps for the second burger, and then serve it to your grateful dining buddy and dig in to your own imitation Baconator burger.