John Boy & Billy BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger
The loaded one: a cheeseburger with mustard, chili, bacon, a crispy onion ring, American cheese and John Boy & Billy Grillin’ Sauce. It layers the Carolina chili-and-mustard style with barbecue sauce and an onion ring for crunch, so it is sweet, smoky and heavy. Order extra napkins.
The story
The sauce on this burger belongs to John Boy & Billy, the radio duo John Isley and Billy James from Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedy morning programme, The John Boy & Billy Big Show, started on Charlotte’s WRFX in November 1986 and was syndicated across Southern and Midwestern stations until 2025, mixing rock music with interviews with musicians, comedians and NASCAR drivers. Along the way the show launched its own line of barbecue sauces, John Boy & Billy Grillin’ Sauce, which is what goes on this burger.
What’s inside
- hand-pattied beef burger
- mustard
- chili
- bacon
- onion ring
- American cheese
- John Boy & Billy Grillin’ Sauce
- steamed bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the John Boy & Billy BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, barbecue sauce, crispy onions and chili
Copycat Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger with Onion Straws - Shares beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Onion Bomb Burger - Shares beef, bacon, crispy onions and cheese
Viral Bacon Spiral Burger - Shares beef, bacon, crispy onions and cheese
Fat Mimolette Bacon & Fried Onion Burger
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the John Boy & Billy BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.- Carl's Jr. · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
SignatureWestern Bacon Cheeseburger - Habit Burger & Grill · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
BBQ Bacon Char - Johnny Rockets · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
Smoke House - Black Tap · beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions
The Texan
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About Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries
Kenney Moore opened the first restaurant in 1991 in the Berkeley Mall in Goldsboro, North Carolina, under the name Andy’s Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers. He started with $500 and equipment financed by its owners, took over three more closed restaurants and was soon $30,000 in debt to his food supplier, before switching to franchising and spreading across eastern North Carolina.
About a hundred restaurants, most of them in North Carolina, with others across the Southeast.
The full Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries burger menu and story →
Not affiliated with Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries. Trademarks belong to their owners.