Cut the bacon into pieces and freeze the pieces for 20 minutes to make them easier to process.
Process the bacon in a mini food processor on the "chop" setting until finely ground.
Mix the ground bacon into the beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes.
Form the mixture into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Use your thumb to make a shallow dimple in the middle of each burger. This helps them retain their shape.
Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the burgers. If the skillet is well-seasoned, there's no need to add oil. Otherwise, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the burgers.
Cook the burgers until cooked through, for about 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat.
Serve immediately with your favorite hamburger toppings.
Video
Notes
You can par-cook the bacon in the microwave to ensure it becomes fully cooked. In this method, there’s no need to chop and freeze it. Place the four bacon strips on two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover them with two more paper towels. Microwave for three minutes, allow to slightly cool, and then chop and mix the par-cooked bacon into the ground beef.
You can go for a 50/50 ratio, mixing 8 ounces of ground beef with 8 ounces of ground bacon. But I like to keep things slightly less fatty and salty (though still delicious!) by mixing 4 ounces of bacon into a pound of ground beef.
The nutrition info is for the burgers only and does not include toppings.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze these burgers for up to three months.