This cheese burger is a bit over the top with gooey Oaxacan cheese, spicy chorizo chili, and deep fried slices of avocado.
But this burger needed to be a bit over the top because Kita at Girl Carnivore is hosting a Burger Month with an epic burger every day of August. Yes, the official Burger Month is in May but is one month really enough for burgers?
Kita is on the Char-Broil All Star Bloggers with me and she also knows a thing or two about burgers. She and Clint Cantwell (Grillocracy) teamed up and kicked the rest of the food bloggers' butts in the best custom burger grind competition at the Certified Angus Beef #GrillTalk session this summer. So I wanted this burger to be extra special to make up for the crushing emptiness that I felt in my burger soul after that humbling defeat! (Kidding, we all get along great and it was all in good fun. Plus they cheated:) )
Here is why I picked the Tex-Mex characters that I did.
Chorizo
I love the edge that chorizo brings to a chili sauce for burgers and dogs. This is the raw style Mexican chorizo, not the cured, hard Spanish style. It is highly seasoned and packs a flavorful punch without being too spicy.
Oaxcan Cheese
The Oaxacan style cheese is what we call Mexican mozzarella - it's semi-soft, has a mild buttery taste, and is an excellent melting cheese. That makes it a perfect candidate for cheeseburgers. I've seen this cheese even at Walmart so hopefully you can get your hands on some. If not, you can substitute mozzarella or maybe some thin sliced pepper jack cheese.
Deep Fried Avocado
Ahh the deep fried avocado slices. We got this idea from a food truck that was selling fried avocado tacos and man, were they fantastic! The crispy texture contrasts the chili and cheese. The richness helps tame the spiciness of the chili sauce. You could just use avocado slices without frying but if you have time, it's worth deep frying!
Chorizo Chili Burger with Deep Fried Avocado Slices
Published 08/25/2015
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- salt, pepper, and granulated garlic to taste
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 ounces Oaxacan cheese
- 1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and sliced lengthwise
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning or taco seasoning
- 2 eggs lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- oil for deep frying
- 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
- 1/2 pound chorizo sausage
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup picante sauce or salsa
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion [or 1 Tbsp grated fresh onion]
- 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground corriander
- season salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon
Instructions
- Make the Deep Fried Avocados. Preheat oil between 350 and 375°F. Season the flour with fajita seasoning, coat avocado slices, and knock off excess. Dip in the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs. Carefully deep fry until golden, 60 - 90 seconds and remove to a resting rack. Season with salt to taste as soon as each batch comes out.
- Make the chili. Place all chili ingredients in a medium saucepan over a medium high heat burner. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring and breaking up the pieces of meat. It should take about 45 minutes to reduce to a chili sauce consistency. Taste for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if desired. If you want more heat, kick in some of your favorite hot sauce.
- Preheat your grill to 450°F. Obviously the grates should be scrubbed clean and spritzed with a high temp oil just before the burgers go on.
- Keeping the meat as cold as possible and handling as little as possible, form the ground chuck into four 6 oz patties. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, and granulated garlic over the patties only right before they go on.
- Grill the burgers until the brown color creeps up the edges and liquid starts to push out of the tops - about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes. Top with slices of the cheese, close the grill lid, and cook until the burgers reach an internal temp of 160°F - about another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a resting rack. [If you know the risks and know how to mitigate them by grinding your own meat, feel free to cook them to medium rare instead.]
- Toast your buns. Lightly brush the buns with some melted butter and toast on the grill until slightly crispy and brown.
Make sure that your oil is at temp before dropping the avocados in or you will get a soggy, nasty mess. A trusty Thermapen or other super fast read thermometer is your best bet for checking this out. |
I hate deep frying inside the house because of the lingering odors, that is why I love using my grill's side burner for deep frying outside. |
This isn't a sponsored post but I have to say that I have really enjoyed my Char-Broil Commercial Series gas grill this summer. The TRU-Infrared panels and cast iron grates deliver even, powerful heat without drying out my food - unlike any gas grills I have used in the past. For a charcoal and wood guy, I have been really impressed with this gasser. If you're in the market for a gas grill, you should check these out at Lowe's. |
The sizzle and smoke of grilling burgers is a part of summer magic, whether it's something a bit involved like this recipe or something as simple as a plain grilled burger. |
The Oaxacan cheese is from the Oaxaca state of Mexico. It is rich, buttery, and melts easily. It is great on burgers, in queso sauce, and casseroles. |
This was a fantastic burger. More involved than your usual cheeseburger but well worth it. |
So put this burger on your "try soon" list and hop over to Girl Carnivore to see a month's worth of killer burgers.
[FTC Standard Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post, but I am a member of the Char-Broil All Stars and they are a sponsor. Thermoworks is also an equipment sponsor.