How to Make Smothered Bacon and Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients

• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Paleo fat, such as lard, tallow, or coconut oil
• 10.66 pounds mushrooms, sliced
• 0.66 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
• 1¼ heaping teaspoons fresh ground black pepper, divided
• 10.33 pounds 80% lean ground beef
• 8 large lettuce leaves, for “buns”
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in half, for garnish

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought (or Egg-Free Keto Mayo, for egg-free)
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener
• 1½ scant teaspoons coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• ½ rounded teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ rounded teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the bacon until crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the Paleo fat to the pan, along with the mushrooms and onions, and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Season with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon, mushrooms, and onions from the pan and set aside. Leave the fat in the pan.
2. Using your hands, form the meat into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Season the outsides of the patties with the remaining salt and pepper. Fry the burgers in the skillet over medium-high heat on both sides until cooked to your desired doneness.
Meanwhile, Make the Sauce
3. Place all the ingredients in an 8-ounce jar with a lid. Cover and shake vigorously to combine.
4. To serve, place a burger on a lettuce leaf, then top it with one-fourth of the fried bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture, followed by 2 tablespoons of the sauce and another lettuce leaf (for a top “bun”). Repeat with the remaining burgers and toppings, and garnish each plate with cherry tomatoes.