Battered Cheeseburger Sticks with Turkey Bacon (Print-Friendly Version)
Cheddar and cooked turkey bacon are enclosed in beef, cooked through, chilled, then coated in cornmeal batter and fried. The separate first cook replaces the archived shortcut of frying chilled raw beef for a fixed few minutes.
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House placeholder — AdSense units launch here# Ingredients You’ll Need:
01 - 1 pound ground beef
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 4 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
06 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
07 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
08 - 1 cup yellow cornmeal
09 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1 cup buttermilk
13 - 1 large egg
14 - 8 wooden skewers
15 - Vegetable oil for frying
# How to Make It:
01 - Heat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed tray. Mix ground beef with its salt, pepper and garlic powder. Divide into eight portions, flatten, and enclose modest amounts of cheddar and cooked bacon in each. Seal into short logs; reserve excess filling rather than making the seams thin.
02 - Bake the logs until the ground-beef centers reach 160°F, checking with a thermometer. Let steam escape briefly, then refrigerate promptly in a shallow container until firm and cold. Do not freeze them for frying.
03 - Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and batter salt. Stir in buttermilk and egg until no dry flour remains. Prepare a draining rack and use a fryer or sturdy deep pot with adequate headroom.
04 - Heat frying oil to 350°F according to the equipment instructions. Pat condensation from the cooked logs. Insert suitable short skewers only if they fit the fryer safely; otherwise lower and lift with a slotted utensil.
05 - Coat one log in batter and lower carefully into the oil. Fry in small batches, turning as needed, until the batter is cooked and crisp and the center reaches 165°F. Check a first piece; color alone is insufficient. If the coating browns early, finish on a tray in the oven until the center is hot.
06 - Drain on a rack and cool briefly before eating; cheese can be much hotter than the crust. Keep water away from the hot oil and let it cool fully before handling for disposal.
# Extra Suggestions:
01 - A golden batter can conceal undercooked ground beef. The first bake establishes doneness before coating; the final temperature check confirms reheating.
02 - Leave enough beef to seal every seam. Small, firmly enclosed portions are easier to handle than thin meat stretched around too much filling.
03 - Refrigeration can leave condensation. Blot it before dipping so liquid does not run into the hot oil.
04 - No kitchen test is claimed. This is an editorial revision with separate cooking stages and thermometer checks; allow extra time for cooling.