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Barbecue Bacon Grilled Cheese is a grilled cheese sandwich filled with barbecue sauce, crispy bacon and plenty of smoked cheddar cheese.
If you are a lover of sandwiches, you might also like to try our recipes for Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches, Chicken Cheese Steak Sandwiches and Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches.
I think you’ve gotta be a cheese lover and a bacon lover to fall in love with this bacon grilled cheese sandwich (which is pretty easy to do). I mean… there’s a lot of both of those amazing ingredients, and that’s not a bad thing at all. This is the kind of sandwich that dreams are made of. It’s the kind of grilled cheese that you might see on a restaurant menu. But you can make it so easily at home!
Ingredients Needed:
- Bread: You’re wide open here to use any kind of bread you’d like. Sourdough would be great. Sweet Hawaiian bread would be amazing. White bread or wheat bread will work too. You can even try using Texas toast!
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter. It doesn’t really matter.
- Bacon: You need cooked, crispy bacon for this sandwich. Just cook it ahead of time, and it will be good to go.
- Cheese: We suggest using smoked cheddar cheese for your barbecue bacon grilled cheese sandwich, but you can use anything you’d like. Gouda would be an excellent choice too.
- Barbecue Sauce: Any smoky BBQ sauce will work. We like the Sweet Baby Ray’s brand.
How to make Barbecue Bacon Grilled Cheese:
The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Butter your bread slices, and then place the buttered bread butter-side down on a flat surface. Spread some barbecue sauce on the other side of the bread, and then top that with cheese, crispy bacon slices, more barbecue sauce and more cheese. Then place the other side of bread butter-side-up on top.
Grill (using an actual grill) your sandwich or cook it in a skillet until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is nice and melty. Slice and serve.
Recipe Tips:
- You don’t need to overload the butter on the bread slices. A thin layer of butter is fine, so if you don’t use all two tablespoons as indicated in the recipe then that’s okay.
- We’ve made this both on the outdoor grill and in a skillet on the stove. The skillet method is definitely less messy, but grilling is fun and adds more of a smoky element to the sandwich.
- How to make bacon in the oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay the bacon on the baking sheet. Don’t overlap the bacon or it will all stick together! Bake the bacon for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp. The time varies depending on how thick your bacon is. Move the bacon slices to paper towels to drain.
Suggestions for Grilled Cheese Variations:
- Use a combination of cheeses such as cheddar and pepper jack.
- Use pulled pork instead of bacon in your grilled cheese.
- Drizzle some hot honey onto your sandwich.
- Add caramelized onions.
- Slip a fried egg into the grilled cheese and call it a cowboy breakfast sandwich!
- Add apple slices to your barbecue bacon grilled cheese.
What to serve with Barbecue Bacon Grilled Cheese:
This is a pretty decadent grilled cheese sandwich, so go with what works for you. I suggest watermelon slices, potato chips, potato salad, pasta salad or soup. A refreshing beverage served with this grilled cheese sandwich would be lovely.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
- It’s pretty much the most decadent, amazing grilled cheese sandwich ever.
- Tons of bacon + lots of melted cheese = Heaven.
- It’s restaurant quality.
Barbecue Bacon Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices of your favorite bread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup (more or less) of your favorite smokey barbecue sauce
- 3 slices cooked bacon
- several slices Smoked Cheddar Cheese (or your favorite cheddar cheese)
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium-low. You can also make this in a skillet on the stove.
- Butter your bread slices. Place one slice of bread butter-side-down on a plate or baking sheet. Drizzle the bread with BBQ sauce. Add a layer of cheese. Add the bacon, more BBQ sauce and another layer of cheese. Place the second slice of bread butter-side-up on top.
- GRILL your sandwich until golden brown on both sides. You want the grill kind of low so you don't torch the bread (you can also do this on the stove in a pan, of course). Close the lid on the grill so your cheese melts. Flip and toast the other side.
- Remove from the grill, slice and chow down.
Nutrition
This recipe comes from RecipeBoy.com
*This post was originally created in partnership with RecipeBoy and Great Midwest Cheeses.
I also love adding bacon to a grilled cheese!
I love to add green chiles to my grilled cheese sandwich
Avocado is my favorite thing to add to my grilled cheese!
My favorite thing to add is sauteed mushrooms!
When I have the time, grilled onions are awesome on a grilled cheese.
Tomatoes!! Especially in the summertime and fresh from the garden or the farmer’s market.
I love the extra kick of chopped hot giardiniera on my grilled cheese.
I have to go with MORE CHEESE!!!!!! I like to mix the variety of cheeses that I have on hand and add a good dill pickle on the side, and I am happy!
I love caramelized onions on my grilled cheese!
tomato!
Caramelized onions with Swiss on French bread and au jus for dipping called the French Onion Soup Sandwich!
I love to add tomatoes and avocados!
Sun-dried tomatoes! Or sliced fruit, like apples or pears
Yum! I add ham to my grilled cheese. thanks!
Guacamole! (BTW, this sounds amazing!!) My husband bought me a panini press last year, and we love making “fancy” grilled cheese on it!
The only thing I add is a second type of cheese! Yum!
avacado
I love adding tomatoes.
I like to add a layer of pesto to my grilled cheese sandwiches! So good.
I Love adding thin sliced apples or pears! Yumm! Your sandwich looks delicious!
Love the “grilled” cheese sandwich. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
I love to add smoked turkey to my grilled chesse. Yummy!
tomato and grilled onions!
I think avocado is a great addition, but then I think it’s a great addition to anything 😉
Tomatoes and mayo!! 🙂
BACON!! Cheese and bacon is just heavenly!
I love adding buffalo chicken breast and a little cream cheese and blue cheese on sour dough or french bread.
A nice slice of tomato for me!
Oh boy does that look good! Sometimes we had some ham to our grilled cheese. Thanks for the giveaway.
oh man!!!! that looks delish!
Jalapeno peppers and tomatoes are my favorite thing to add to grilled cheese!
I love a grilled cheese with fresh basil, tomato & kalamata olive tapanade.
I love adding avocado to my grilled cheese.
I like to use fresh mozzarella and then add tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic to make a Caprese grilled cheese.
Just good ole cheese, lots of it!
I like to add jam and pecans, believe it or not.
I love adding roasted tomatoes!
homemade sourdough bread with hose dressing maple kielbasa and fried sauerkraut fried onion rings top with Horseradish cheddar. Yummy. my Dad tops my sandwich with grilled onions
Pesto for another dimension!
A slice of good ham makes an excellent grilled cheese.
I love adding pesto to my grilled cheese!
I love adding avocado to grilled cheese! This recipe looks delicious.
I’m not a USA citizen but one thing I love to add to grilled cheese is sliced APPLE! So good!
Another great “grilled sandwich” is to take a brick wrapped in tin foil and place it Ontop of your favourite normal sandwich on the grill. Make sure to brush the outside of the sandwiches with olive oil before! This makes a DELICIOUS pressed sandwich!
Grilled cheese sandwiches are my favorite! I love mine with avocados and tomatoes!
Your grilled cheese looks perfect. Bacon is probably my favorite thing to add, too, along with grilled onion and tomato!
Caramelized onions and bacon for sure, and maybe some sautéed mushrooms as well. Yum, now I’m hungry!
Bacon!!
I love to add sliced apples to my grilled cheese!
I’m a huge fan of a grilled cheese with a slice or two of good ham on it. Yum!
Guacamole on a grilled cheese! Yum!
I know it sounds weird, but I love pickles on my grilled cheese. And smoked gouda is my favorite cheese too!
Love grilled cheese sandwiches with pickles.
My favorite grilled cheese addition is definitely bacon!!
All those cheeses sound fabulous! Especially the spicy ones 🙂
Garden tomatoes. Love your Superman tee. Just picked up one for my son the other day.
My favorite thing to add is a crisp green apple! I had this at my cousin’s wedding rehearsal and could not get enough of the combo!
One time I made a grilled cheese with some chorizo and roasted red peppers to use up some leftovers…it was the best one I’ve EVER had! Now that I’m thinking about it, I really need to make it again 🙂
We usually eat them plain, but I like them with avocado too!
Thinly sliced tart apples and bacon. Mmmm mmm mmm.
I love adding fresh tomatoes in the summer or some type of salty bacon or ham any time of the year!! YUM! 🙂 I’ll have to try your version.
Hatch green chiles with a good sliced cheddar!
Midwest Cheese! Yes! I love the Mango-Fire Cheddar with black beans and caramelized onions!
Hot, sweet, just plain good.
My fave grilled cheese addition is green apple! Green apple and cheese go so great together. Your sandwich looks amazing, I’m drooling as I look at the pics!
My favorite thing to add to a grilled cheese sandwich is mustard! I’ve been known to just dip it on the side, or schmear it on the outside of the bread before grilling it (they do the same thing to the buns when you order animal style at In N Out). Yum!
Hard to choose one thing, but I’d say bacon!
I love to add hatch peppers
I always add a garlic-parmesan spread to the sides of the bread that get toasted. I love that you get flavor from both the grilled cheese filling and the outside!
A nice bit of smoked ham – yummmmmmm
My favorite thing is avocado!
Caramelized onions!
Ham! I love a good grilled cheese with ham!
Turkey and pepper jelly — bonus if I have gouda or gruyere to put in the grilled cheese!
Either tomato or fig jam!
Yum!! That sounds awesome!! I like to add tomato and basil to my grilled cheese…..
In our family we like to add pepperoni!
I love a caprese grilled cheese with fresh basil.
Basil!
Tomatoes or avocado!
I love to add pesto and roasted tomoato. OR apples and bacon
I’m with you, smoked Gouda all the way!! I love using smoked Gouda and adding thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, delicious!
I love a brie, bacon, and jam grilled cheese!
Tomatoes are so good in a grilled cheese.
Love this grilled cheese. I added tomatoes and sweet pickles. UMMM
I like to open it up after it’s grilled and add slices of fresh tomato and onion…close it up & you’;e good to go!
I LOVE carmelized onions on grilled cheese. They give a sweetness and texture that I love and complement the goofiness of the melts cheese.
I love adding chia seeds to give a little crunch and goodness!
I just learned that bacon, grilled onion, and barbecue sauce makes the BEST grilled cheese.
Bacon! Or Avacado! thanks for the chance. 🙂
Oooh I love grilled cheese with toppings! My fave is avocado, tuna, and/or tomato. YUM!
I like my grilled cheese with sauteed onions and mushrooms! Yummy. Or avocado and bacon. So hard to choose! Who knows what I could come up with if I had the opportunity to try all these cheeses!! 🙂
This grilled cheese looks fantastic! We love to add jalapenos for added kick!
My favorite thing to add to a grilled cheese sandwich is bacon
I’m sneaky and add sliced zucchini to my grilled cheese sandwiches.
The cheeses look delicious!
BTW: I wish my kids were as articulate as you are! Good job!
I love adding a variety of cheeses and piling it on. The more cheese the merrier.
Gotta love a good grilled cheese with bacon.
I like to add leftover chicken and grilled onions to my grilled cheese.
Oh so many options with grilled cheese – and really depends on the cheese of choice. So with a flavored cheddar, I’m gonna go with caramelized onions – it would work well with any of them.
I love bacon and tomato on my grilled cheese! But yours with the sauce looks pretty good :).
My fave grilled cheese is Sharp Cheddar, Bacon & Sliced Red Onions…..delish!!!
Avocado and smoked turkey breast with asiago……yum, yum, yum!
My favorite grilled cheese is a grilled pimento cheese with fresh tomatoes. A very southern grilled cheese!
Tomatoes. Bacon. Ham. Avocado. Jalapenos. Basil. Hmmm…too many choices. I think I’m hungry now!
Depends on the kind of cheese your using. Cheddar with bacon,or cheddar with carmelized onions, swiss with tomato, fresh motz with pesto. I add turkey or ham or avocado or…. the possibilities are endless!
I like adding tomato and bacon to my grilled cheese!
I love grilled cheese…it’s perfect just as it is. A good fresh bread , mayo, cheese(any kind is just fine), butter. Yum!
I absolutely love to put avocado on grilled swiss and xtra sharp cheddar!!! yummy!!
I love to add pesto!
Grilled cheese with lots of butter on the bread for toasting and lots of gooey cheese on the inside. Doesn’t get better than that.
I love to add tomatoes or have you ever tried pimento spread ? Yum-o !
Where to begin, looked at the other add in and now, so many other goodie to try. But have to go with more and different kinds if cheese.
Our little vegetable market is selling some awesome new kinds of flavored cheeses, that will make the Grilled Cheese with add in so new and different.
Sorry…got to go fix a grilled cheese for lunch…thanks for the great recipe.
Gosh, it’s hard to pick one thing because I’m such a grilled cheese freak. Sandwiches with multiple kinds of cheese usually interest me, as do those with fresh herbs or fruit.
Bacon or ham is my favorite thing to add to a grilled cheese sandwich. ALWAYS good. 🙂
my favorite thing to add to a grilled chesses sandwich is thinly sliced apples I love the way the taste of chesses with apple tastes!
I love to add smoked cheddar, jalapeno and tomato.
I like a schmear of apple butter mixed with a little bbq sauce (chipotle is our fave)…and a nice sharp white cheese…mMmmMMMmMMmMMm
Your grilled cheese looks so good! I like to add a couple of slices of tomato to my grilled cheese!
Ham!!
Grilled onions and BBQ sauce. All those cheeses look amazing!
Tomatoes…..OR apple slices. 🙂
sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese!
Hmm… in the summer tomatoes, otherwise always hot sauce on the side. I once had mac and cheese IN a grilled cheese… it was pretty amazing!
Grilled onions.
I love adding ham or turkey. kinda Monte Cristo style. Mmm. Or jalapenos. So much you can do with a grilled cheese 🙂
Bacon is always good, and tomato too! yum!
Absolutely love turning the grilled cheese into a stuffed Jalapeno Grilled Cheese!
I love to add bacon or ham to my grilled cheese!
Probably a meat… like ham and cheese. Or what you’ve done here, bacon and cheese. I also really like grilled cheese made with brie, apples, peanut butter, and raisins. 🙂
I love adding roasted red peppers!
Caramelized onions and bacon, of course!
I love adding mushrooms and peppers!
I love caramelized onions and maple turkey! really ANY kind of grilled cheese!
Love adding onions, avocado, and corn to my grilled cheese.
YUMMY bacon! AND thin sliced apple.
Tomatoes and Basil! YUM
I love mild green chilies added to warm cheese. My family would love this cheese assortment. Thanks for the giveaway.
I like bacon, and onion, and tomato on my grilled cheese!
tomato, avocado, and green chilies
I love adding avocado and tomato to classic cheddar.
Bacon!
I like to add tomato and ham.
Gotta be tomato and bacon!
New Mexico green chiles!!!!!!
Ham or fried baloney 🙂
I like avocado and bacon..so many ways to make it great!
I love blueberries on my grilled cheese. With a white cheese! It’s the best!
Avocado!
Mushrooms and basil! That’s what I add!
I love tomatoes and bacon on mine with a touch of Franks red hot sauce!
Grilled onions
Our favorite addition is bacon and tomatoes.
I made agrilled cheese with pepper jack and mango puree. It was sooo good.
I’m pretty traditional – I don’t usually add much besides a couple varieties of cheese, but your version looks great!
I’m a purist! I like my grilled cheese with just cheese, but I do combine cheeses and like a variety of cheeses. Your creation looks great, and I may have to stop outside of my comfort zone and give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love adding bacon and tomatoes, pretty standard, but so delicious! I do know a gal at work that adds peanut butter and tomatoes, yuck!
My fave on a grilled cheese has to be sweet yet tart, Bread & Butter pickle slices…Yummmm!!
I love adding tomato to grilled cheese..yum!
First of all, longhorn cheese, then add thin slices of peeled apple and avocado.
Love, longhorn cheese, and thin slices of apple and avocado.
I like to add thinly sliced Washington apples to mine.
Your sandwich looked out of this world!
Tomatoes, avacado, and lettuce!
I eat grilled cheese on average 4 days a week! I love a good old fashioned plain grilled cheese but if add something it’s definitely going to be bacon!
Sliced tomatoes and Dijon mustard!
Ever tried quickly opening a grilled cheddar sandwich and adding some strawberry preserves? Yes, after grilling so there’s a hot-cold contrast …ooh!
I love adding carmelized onions and mushrooms to a grilled cheese, but bacon and barbeque sauce might have to be on the menu – your sandwich looks fantastic!
I like a mix of cheeses – cheddar & swiss & Munster
Love grilled cheese with tomatoe soup ,I like to sprinkle French fried onions on my grilled cheese,I am a cheese fanatic,always looking for a new cheese to try so I hope I’m lucky 🙂
I love adding fresh basil!
I love a “popper” grilled cheese sandwich….roasted jalapenos, cream cheese and cheddar cheese!
I love a simple slice of tomato on my grilled cheese, though bacon sounds amazing.
I like cheddar grilled cheese with granny smith apples so good.
I like to add tomato and bacon.
Mild onion is what I add if anything to my grilled cheese. YUM
Jalapenos and turkey
I like adding avocados or black olives to a grilled cheese sandwich!
I love tomatoes on my grilled cheese and a bit of smoked tomato seasoning…
I do like bacon on mine, but I’d have to say caramelized onions are probably my favorite thing to add (or avocado, or sautéed mushrooms or just plain).