Copycat Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger (Hardee’s)

The Western Bacon Cheeseburger has been on the Carl’s Jr. menu since 1983, and it’s the one burger people who grew up near a Hardee’s or Carl’s Jr. still talk about. A charbroiled beef patty, two strips of bacon, melted American cheese, two crispy onion rings, and tangy BBQ sauce on a toasted seeded bun. It’s sweet, smoky, crunchy, and messy in exactly the right way.

Most copycat recipes online get two things wrong. They skip the onion rings or tell you to use frozen ones, and they reach for whatever BBQ sauce is in the fridge. The onion rings are the whole point of this burger, and the sauce at Carl’s Jr. is thinner, sweeter, and tangier than a standard bottled hickory sauce. This version fixes both. You’ll make a quick batch of air fryer onion rings and a five-minute copycat BBQ sauce, then cook the patties on a Blackstone or cast iron for that charbroiled crust.

About 35 minutes start to finish, and it makes four burgers. The Double and Triple versions are below if you want the full drive-thru experience.

What’s on a Western Bacon Cheeseburger

The build is the same at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. From the bottom up:

1. Toasted seeded bun (bottom)
2. Tangy BBQ sauce
3. Charbroiled beef patty
4. Slice of American cheese, melted
5. Two strips of bacon
6. Two crispy onion rings
7. More BBQ sauce
8. Toasted seeded bun (top)

No lettuce, no tomato, no pickles, no mayo. That’s what makes it taste the way it does. The sweetness comes entirely from the sauce, the crunch entirely from the onion rings, and there’s nothing cold or wet on it to soften the bun.

The current menu also has a Spicy Western Bacon Cheeseburger that swaps the American for pepper jack and adds jalapeño coins. That variation is below.

Why This Recipe Works

The onion rings are made, not bought. Frozen onion rings are thick-battered and bready. Carl’s Jr. rings are thin, crispy, and shatter when you bite the burger. A light buttermilk-and-flour coating in the air fryer gets you there in 10 minutes, and they hold their crunch under the sauce.

The BBQ sauce is a copycat, not a substitute. The sauce on this burger is thinner and tangier than Sweet Baby Ray’s or KC Masterpiece. It’s ketchup-based with brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and a little liquid smoke, simmered just long enough to come together. Five minutes on the stove, and it tastes like the drive-thru.

The patty is smashed thin and charred hard. Carl’s Jr. charbroils over an open flame. At home, a screaming-hot Blackstone or cast iron skillet gives you the same dark crust and slightly crispy edges. Thin patties cook fast and leave room for all the toppings.

The bun is toasted in beef fat. Toasting the cut sides of the bun on the griddle after the patties come off picks up flavor and keeps the sauce from soaking through.

Ingredients

Three parts: the sauce, the onion rings, and the burger. Full amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom.

Copycat BBQ sauce

• Ketchup: the base, already seasoned and the right thickness.
• Brown sugar: sweetness and the dark caramel color.
• Apple cider vinegar: the tang that balances the sugar.
• Worcestershire sauce: savory depth under the sweet and sour.
• Molasses: deeper color and a slight bitter edge.
• Smoked paprika: gentle smoke flavor and a red tint.
• Garlic powder and onion powder: rounds out the sauce without raw bite.
• Liquid smoke: the charbroiled flavor; hickory, just half a teaspoon.
• Black pepper: a little heat on the finish.
• Water: thins the sauce so it soaks into the bun.

Air fryer onion rings

• Yellow onion: sliced half an inch thick; use the biggest rings.
• Buttermilk: clings to the onion and adds slight tang.
• All-purpose flour: the base of the coating; sticks to buttermilk.
• Panko breadcrumbs: the crunch that frozen onion rings never have.
• Seasoned salt: salt plus flavor in one shake.
• Paprika: color and mild warmth in the coating.
• Black pepper: a touch of bite in the breading.
• Cooking spray: replaces the deep fryer; spray both sides generously.

Burgers

• Butter or bacon fat: for toasting the cut sides of the buns.bun works; a brioche bun is too rich for this one.
• 80/20 ground beef: enough fat to char and stay juicy.
• Kosher salt: seasons the beef; the sauce handles everything else.
• Black pepper: freshly ground if you have it.
• American cheese: deli-sliced melts smoother than wrapped singles.
• Bacon: eight strips cooked crisp, two per burger.
• Sesame seed buns: soft, not brioche; brioche fights the sauce.

How to Make a Copycat Western Bacon Cheeseburger

Work in this order so everything is hot at the same time: sauce first, then bacon and onion rings, then patties and buns last.

Step 1: Make the BBQ sauce. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low and cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens slightly and the sugar dissolves. Set aside. It thickens more as it cools. (Makes about 1 1/4 cups; you’ll use about half.)

Step 2: Cook the bacon. Air fry at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or cook on the Blackstone, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Save a tablespoon of the fat for the buns.

Step 3: Bread the onion rings. Separate the onion into rings and pick the 8 largest. Pour the buttermilk into a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, mix the flour, panko, seasoned salt, paprika, and pepper. Dip each ring in buttermilk, then press into the flour mixture. Dip back in the buttermilk and into the flour a second time for a thicker coat.

Step 4: Air fry the onion rings. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Spray the basket, lay the rings in a single layer (two batches if needed), and spray the tops. Air fry 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway and spraying again, until deep golden and crisp. Keep warm on a sheet pan in a 200°F oven while you cook the burgers.

Step 5: Form the patties. Divide the beef into 4 portions (6 ounces each). Form into loose balls, then flatten into patties about 1/2 inch thick and slightly wider than the bun. Press a shallow dimple in the center of each so they don’t dome. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 6: Cook the patties. Heat the Blackstone or a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the patties and don’t touch them for 3 minutes. Flip, top each with a slice of American cheese, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more for medium. Move to a plate.

Step 7: Toast the buns. Brush the cut sides of the buns with butter or bacon fat and press them face-down on the hot griddle for 30 to 60 seconds until golden.

Step 8: Build. Spread a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on each bottom bun. Add the cheeseburger patty, then 2 strips of bacon, then 2 onion rings. Spoon another tablespoon of sauce over the rings and close with the top bun. Serve right away.

Variations

• Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Two patties, two slices of cheese, same bacon and onion rings. Use 4-ounce patties (3 pounds of beef for 4 doubles) so the burger isn’t impossible to bite. Stack patty, cheese, patty, cheese, then bacon and rings.
• Triple Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Three 4-ounce patties, three slices of cheese. You’ll want a toothpick or skewer through the top to keep it standing. This is the one Carl’s Jr. sells as a dare.
• Spicy Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Swap American for pepper jack and add 4 to 5 pickled jalapeño coins on top of the onion rings. For extra heat, stir 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder into the BBQ sauce.
• Western Bacon Chicken Sandwich. Replace the beef patty with a hand-breaded or charbroiled chicken fillet. Carl’s Jr. ran this as a menu item, and it works. Use the chicken from the Copycat Hardee’s Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich.
• Low-carb Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Skip the bun and wrap in large iceberg lettuce leaves. Skip the onion rings or replace them with a few grilled onion slices. Use a sugar-free BBQ sauce or cut the brown sugar and molasses from the recipe above and sweeten with 2 tablespoons of a brown sugar substitute.
• Western Bacon Sloppy Joes. Brown the beef loose instead of forming patties, stir in 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, and pile onto buns with the cheese, bacon, and onion rings. Faster, and good for a crowd.

Tips for the Best Copycat

• Don’t press the patties after the first flip. Press once when they hit the griddle to get full contact, then leave them. Pressing later squeezes out the juice.
• Keep the onion rings in the oven, not on the counter. They go soft in 5 minutes at room temperature. A 200°F oven holds them crisp for 20 minutes.
• Sauce both buns. The sauce on top of the onion rings is what makes it taste like the original. Bottom sauce alone isn’t enough.
• Make the sauce ahead. It keeps 2 weeks in the fridge and tastes better the next day.
• Double the onion rings. You will eat half of them before the burgers are done.

Storage and make-ahead. BBQ sauce: 2 weeks refrigerated in a jar. Cooked bacon: 5 days refrigerated; re-crisp in the air fryer for 2 minutes. Raw patties: form, separate with parchment, and refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze up to 3 months. Onion rings: bread them and freeze on a sheet pan, then air fry from frozen at 400°F for 12 minutes. Assembled burgers don’t keep; build them fresh.

Reheating a leftover burger. Pull it apart. Reheat the patty and bacon in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 minutes, re-crisp the onion rings alongside for the last 2 minutes, and toast the bun. Rebuild with fresh sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. or Hardee’s? Both. It started at Carl’s Jr. in 1983, and Hardee’s added it after the two chains merged under CKE Restaurants in 1997. The build is the same at both.

What BBQ sauce does Carl’s Jr. use on the Western Bacon Cheeseburger? A proprietary tangy, slightly sweet sauce that’s thinner than most bottled sauces. The copycat above gets very close. If you must use bottled, thin 1/2 cup of a hickory or original sauce with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water.

Can I use frozen onion rings? You can, but they’re the main difference between a good copycat and a great one. Frozen rings are thick and bready. If you use them, pick the thinnest beer-battered style you can find and air fry until very crisp.

How many calories are in a Western Bacon Cheeseburger? The restaurant single is about 740 calories; the Double is about 1,000. This homemade version is in the same range, around 750 for a single with two onion rings and 2 tablespoons of sauce. Making the patty 4 ounces instead of 6 drops it under 650.

Can I make the burgers in the air fryer? Yes. Air fry 1/2-inch patties at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, and add the cheese for the last minute. You’ll lose the charred crust, so the Blackstone or cast iron is the better choice if you have one.

What’s the difference between the Western Bacon Cheeseburger and a regular BBQ bacon cheeseburger? The onion rings and the absence of everything else. No lettuce, tomato, pickle, or mayo. Most BBQ bacon cheeseburgers at other chains include some of those, which changes the taste completely.

More Copycat Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Recipes

• Copycat Hardee’s Frisco Burger — sourdough, Swiss, bacon, and Frisco sauce
• Copycat Hardee’s Mushroom Swiss Burger — with the silky mushroom sauce
• Copycat Hardee’s Big Twin Sauce — Hardee’s answer to Big Mac sauce
• Copycat Hardee’s Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich — use the fillet for the Western Bacon Chicken variation
• Air Fryer Copycat Hardee’s Hash Rounds — the side you want with this
• Copycat Hardee’s Seasoned Fries
• Copycat Hardee’s Honey Mustard — for dipping the extra onion rings
• Easy Copycat Carl’s Jr. Fried Zucchini