In a bowl, add the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion powder, black pepper, panko, egg, garlic, and barbecue sauce. Combine the mixture well.
Form 16 small burger balls.
Press a cheese cube into the center of each ball. Press the ground beef to enclose the cheese and reshape it into a ball.
Slice each piece of bacon in half widthwise, then cut each width in half lengthwise so you have 32 long, narrow strips. Wrap two strips in a cross pattern around each burger ball.
In an ovenproof 10” – 12” skillet, such as cast iron, brush with olive oil. Place the burger bites into the skillet, bacon side up. Over medium-low heat, cook the burger bites until the meat is no longer pink halfway up the sides of the burger ball, about 8 minutes. Adjust heat as needed if the skillet is getting too hot.
Broil the tops of the burger bites for about 5 minutes or until the bacon is slightly golden brown.